The Other Side of the Story
by coffeecoffeecoffee83
Summary: What happens if Lorelai doesn't walk away after her ultimatum? How do you make things better?
1. We Need A Date

A/N: I don't own any of the characters. You know that. Unless ASP feels the need to give them to me for christmas, I never will.  
This story is also posted on BWR, but here it is again - in all it's completed glory.

**We need a date**

Luke stared at Lorelai for a long time.

"Now... as in 'right this minute'? Or now as in 'we set a date and it's full steam ahead'?" he asked, panic rising inside.

She paused. "I hadn't really thought about that, but I suppose that the latter could come into play."

Luke stepped forward.

"Come here," he began, wrapping his arms around her shaking body. "Just... don't walk away, and we'll talk about this."

"Okay," she sniffed, as he gently placed a kiss on her forehead. He gently prodded her into the diner, and flipped the closed sign on the door. He walked over to the coffee pot and poured the sweet smelling coffee into the largest cup he owned.

"Lorelai," he began, "I want more than anything in the world to marry you. Why would you think any different?"

Luke saw the anger flash across her face again, followed by frustration. "It's not happening," she whispered into the coffee she was nursing. "You haven't done anything recently to make me think that you still want to do this." She paused. "I get it... you want to spend time with April. I don't get why you don't want me involved in that, but I see that it's important to you. But I can't just sit at home every night, in some sort of holding pattern, waiting for you to come back to me. Something needs to change, or I'm going to go crazy."

A smirk crept across Luke's face. "You've always been crazy." He saw the serious look on Lorelai's face, and changed tack. "But that's not the point right now."

Luke leant over the counter, and took her hands in his. "I want you. I want to marry you. You can't imagine how long I've thought about marrying you." He sighed. "I was scared. I've seen how angry Christopher makes you when he isn't there for Rory. And when I started to think about not being there for 12 years of April's life, all I could think was that I was exactly like him. I was the deadbeat Dad. I really didn't want for you to make the same comparison, so I didn't tell you straight away."

"Luke, that's ridiculous. You are nothing like Christopher," Lorelai stated, confusion in her eyes.

"I know, but it's how I felt at the time. Once I'd gotten over that, and you knew, I had two thoughts swimming around my head. One, what if April likes Lorelai more than she likes me? And two, what if Anna gets so angry about April being influenced by you that she takes away my contact completely? I wanted to get to know my daughter, and do it in my own time." He looked directly into her eyes. "But I never wanted to lose you in the process. Tell me what I need to do to make this better."

"Having a fiancée, and a daughter – these aren't mutually exclusive things, Luke." He hung his head and nodded. "You need to stop keeping us apart. She is your daughter. That is never going to change, regardless of the crazy lady you are engaged to. And if you really want to marry me, we need to plan a wedding. We need a date, and a venue, and all that stuff." She stood up, and drained the rest of her coffee. "Right now, I think we need to think about things alone for a bit."

She looked at him, this man that she loved so desperately, but who had done nothing but hurt her for the past few months. She smiled wanly at him. He had taken his cap off, and was rubbing his hand through his hair, as he did when he was nervous. The look he returned her was sad but hopeful.

"Okay. Sure," he ventured. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

He looked so scared, Lorelai couldn't help but smile at him just that little bit warmer. "Yeah, of course," she grinned, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "You have the coffee." With that, she walked out the door, and across the square to where she had parked her Jeep. She looked back at the diner, and saw him standing at the counter, watching her go. She felt the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she got into the car, and couldn't help asking herself what she would have done if he had said no. The thought of losing him forever was more than she could take, and she felt one tear slide silently down her cheek.

Lorelai walked through the front door to her dark, empty house, and went straight to the kitchen. She pulled a carton of Chunky Monkey out of the freezer, grabbed a plastic spoon from the drawer, and trudged upstairs. She pulled her sweatpants and a t-shirt on, and climbed into bed.

She had just taken her first mouthful of ice-cream when the phone rang. She reached for the cordless sitting on her nightstand, and took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello?"

"September 16th" she heard Luke say on the other end of the phone.

"What?"

"I want to marry you on September 16th in the gazebo. We started our engagement there. It seems fitting to end it there as well." She heard apprehension in his voice.

She relaxed, and a small smile spread across her face. "That sounds perfect," she whispered.

"Goodnight Crazy Lady. I love you" he said as he hung up.

"I love you too" she whispered into the dead phone.


	2. The Pink Gerbera

**The Pink Gerbera**

Lorelai awoke to the sun streaming through the windows, warm, and comforting. She sighed and rolled over, content for the moment. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but was unable to remember exactly why. She basked in the feeling, until she opened her eyes. Right in her eye-line was half a pint of melted ice-cream sitting on her nightstand.

It all came flooding back to her. The terrible ultimatum she had issued to Luke; the way he had comforted her when she was teetering on the edge of throwing it all away; how they had talked honestly for the first time in god-knows-how-long...

And his phone call.

'He wants to marry me on September 16th in the gazebo' she thought. She really wasn't entirely sure how this made her feel. Just 12 hours ago, she was ready to end it all if he didn't run away with her and elope. Now he was taking charge, and planning a wedding with her. Telling her what to do. It was such a turnaround, and a little unnerving. She was happy that she wasn't going to lose the love of her life, but how could she be sure that anything would really change? Would he put her first, or would April continue to be number one in Luke Danes' life to the detriment of his relationship?

She knew that it sounded selfish, but she had been so important in Luke's life for ten years, and he in hers, that she hated the idea of anyone else having his love. But at the same time, she knew that April was an innocent bystander in all this trouble. Anna had been wrong in judging the seriousness of her and Luke's relationship; and Luke was just as wrong by the way he had shut Lorelai out of his life. If she was going to make this thing with Luke work, she was going to have to prove that Anna was wrong, that April's life would be all the better for having Lorelai in it. She also needed to prove herself to Luke – be a friend to April without getting in the way of the tenuous father/daughter relationship which was developing.

As Lorelai strolled towards the diner, feeling the warm sun on her back, she realized that she was nervous. She had that same feeling in her stomach that she used to get when they were first dating. Why should she feel this way about seeing Luke? They had been dating for two years. They were engaged, for God's sake! She glanced at the ring sparkling on her left hand, and the butterflies increased. As Luke's came into view, her nervousness morphed into a sense of foreboding.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' she thought to herself. 'Why can I not make up my mind how I feel?'

She took a deep breath as she pushed open the door to the diner, and heard the bell ring. Luke was just coming out of the kitchen, and smiled as he saw her approaching the counter. He looked about as nervous as she felt. She sat at her favourite stool next to the register, and picked up a menu, even though she had memorized its' contents years ago. Luke stood in front of her, pouring her coffee, and looking at her questioningly.

She put down the menu and looked into his eyes. "Ah... pancakes I think," she ventured.

"Blueberry?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yeah. Please."

He wrote the order down, took it to Caesar, and came back to the counter. "I have something for you," he said, bending to grab something from under the counter.

Lorelai wrinkled her brow, trying to work out what he would have for her. He handed her a single pink gerbera daisy.

"Oh, Luke, it's beautiful," she gushed, hiding her face behind the flower as she feigned smelling it. She was well aware that this was only the second time in his life that Luke Danes had given anyone flowers, and she had been on the receiving end both times.

"I've been a jerk recently. I know that. And I plan to start making it up to you from today. April is coming to visit this afternoon..." He saw her face cloud over. "And I want for the three of us to go to Sniffy's for dinner." Lorelai released a breath that she didn't know she was holding, and a smile spread across her face.

"I'd like that." She looked up at him enquiringly. "So... September 16th?"

He relaxed noticeably. "If that's what you want. That gives us a reasonable amount of time to organize it, I think. I thought we could tell April tonight – together."

"Okay," she replied, and leaned up to give him a peck on the lips.

Luke gave her a lingering look, and left to fill customer's coffee and take the order of a couple who had sat down at the corner table.

Lorelai watched her fiancé walk away, and noticed the feeling of calm that had settled over her. 'This is good' she thought, 'maybe things will really be different now.' All she knew was that she loved this man, and she was going to marry him on September 16th. Not June 3rd, like they had planned, but that was fine. She glanced at the flower lying on the counter in front of her, and smiled as she sipped her coffee.

Lorelai was just standing, satiated after eating the best pancakes in town, preparing to go to the inn for a couple of hours, when Luke appeared at her side.

"Before you leave, can I talk to you out the back for a minute?" he asked.

She followed him into the storeroom, and he closed the door behind her.

"Are we ok?" he asked her pointedly. "Are you okay with how things are between us now?"

She looked into his worried face, and nodded. "We will be. At least we now know how the other feels, and it seems that communication has been our biggest problem recently. We really need to work on that."

"Yes we do," he smiled. "How bout we promise each other to always say what's bothering us. Hopefully then we won't have this problem again."

"Deal," she grinned. This time, the smile made it all the way to her sparkling eyes. She looked up at him, and leant in to kiss him deeply, gripping the back of his head. He kissed her back just as passionately, pressing her up against the closed door. They broke away after a minute, and she sighed involuntarily.

"I have to go to work," she said, clearly not wanting it to be true.

Luke kissed her once more, and then opened the door, leading her back out to the diner with his hand on the small of her back.

"I'll tell Rory and Sookie about the new date," she called back at him as she walked towards the door. She turned. "That is definitely what you want?"

He smiled at her. "More than anything," he replied. "I'll pick you up at six."

"Sure. Later, doll." She wiggled her fingers in a wave as she walked out the door.

As soon as she was in the street, she pulled out her phone and dialled Rory's number.

"I've got news, hon," she began when Rory picked up. "Get out your dayplanner. You have a very important event to attend."

She couldn't believe how happy she was to be able to say those words. The butterflies were gone.


	3. April and Lorelai's First Date

**April and Lorelai's First Date**

Lorelai was just coming down the stairs when she heard Luke's truck pulling into the driveway. She slipped her heels on, hopping towards the living room window. She peered out, trying not to disturb the curtains, and watched as Luke helped April down from the truck. He was so gentle with her. Just like this little girl was a doll he was afraid to break. It was reminiscent of the way that he had treated Lorelai when they first started dating. She picked up her purse and swung the door open just as the pair were climbing the steps.

A look of shock flashed across Luke's face. "What... you're ready? But you're never ready on time."

Lorelai giggled at his confusion. "Yeah. I may have had a stroke or something. Maybe I was hit on the head with an ACME anvil. I've been dressed for 20 minutes already. Or maybe I was just excited about going on a date with these two gorgeous creatures." A blush spread across April's face. "Come on, let's go," Lorelai continued, closing the door behind her, "I want to see if Tolstoy's story is still on the back of the menu."

Luke helped the two girls back into the truck, and ran around to the driver's side. As he got in, he looked at the two of them and grinned. After such a long period of stress, Lorelai was happy to see him so relaxed and happy. He seemed to truly be okay with the idea of Lorelai being involved in April's life – regardless of what Anna might say. The whole trip to the restaurant, he kept sneaking glances across April's head at Lorelai, trying to ascertain whether Lorelai was as happy as she was making out. As he pulled into the parking lot, he determined that everything was fine, and he should just enjoy the night.

After Maisie had settled the trio at their table, April stood up, excusing herself to go to the bathroom.

Luke looked uncomfortable. "Are you okay? Do you need one of us to go with you?" he started to babble.

April shook her head and laughed. "No, Luke. I am perfectly capable of using the bathroom without adult supervision. I promise I won't fall in."

Lorelai giggled, and Luke turned an interesting shade of puce. As April walked away, he turned towards Lorelai.

"So, what did Rory say when you told her?" he asked.

"Well, she squealed a little, and then calmed herself down enough to make sure it was what I really wanted. I told her that dear, God, yes, this is what I want. She said that she would be back in Stars Hollow as soon as finals were over so that she could help me plan everything... help US plan everything, I mean."

He nodded sagely, and looked up as his daughter approached the table. Lorelai was amazed by the look on his face as April sat down. This was Luke Danes. Hater of Jam Hands everywhere. The Bachelor King. But this man sitting in front of her was a man so enamoured by his daughter, he glowed. Every time she spoke, pride radiated from him.

"Listen, April," Luke began as he took Lorelai's hand. "We have news for you. Good news." She looked at the two of them curiously. "We've set a date for the wedding. September 16th. And we'd really like you to be there."

"If it's okay with your Mom," Lorelai interrupted.

"Of course I want to be there." April couldn't contain her excitement. "Wow. Six months ago, I didn't know who my dad was, now I'm going to have a whole step-family. I'm going to have a big sister! I've always wanted a sister. Oh! I'll need to go shopping to find a dress to wear. I don't have any grown-up dresses." Her eyes sparkled at the possibility.

Luke watched as April and Lorelai chattered on about dresses and shoes, and something called a GHD. He wondered what had possessed him to keep these two parts of his life separate until now. These were the two most important people in his life, and he was glad that they were getting along so well. It wasn't surprising really, he mused, because Lorelai could get on with anyone. They both also had a talent for talking the hind leg off a donkey. He could see similarities between his daughter and Rory, and for the first time, began to get excited about the possibility of them meeting. He pictured them whispering in the corner at Christmas, about boys and books, and the science stuff April always seemed to be talking about. The thought threw him for a minute. He was picturing a family. He'd never really done that before. He'd pictured marrying Lorelai, but nothing further than that.

Maisie set down their meals. Nobody even attempted to ask what they were eating. It was something with chicken, and was really good. And if both health-food-freak Luke, and junk-food-freak Lorelai could be happy with the same meal, it must be good.

Later in the evening, Luke walked April to her front door, while Lorelai waited in the truck.

"Luke, I'm really glad you're getting married," April said quietly. "Lorelai is really nice. She'll be a great step-mom. Why didn't we hang out before now?"

"Uh... I don't know," he replied honestly. He really couldn't remember why he had used all those excuses. They had seemed really important at the time. But, now... not so much.

As April opened the door, Anna appeared behind it, reminding Luke why he had been scared to let April and Lorelai spend time together. "Hi sweetie. Did you have a good time?" Anna asked as April ducked inside, mumbling something about a phone call, and calling goodbye to her father over her shoulder. "Luke," Anna said simply, and a little gruffly. She looked over his shoulder at the silhouette of Lorelai playing with the tuner on the car stereo.

"What's she doing here?" Anna was glaring at the truck.

"Anna," Luke sighed, not wanting to go over this yet again. "Lorelai is my fiancée. You know this. She is the most important thing in my life, April being the exception. She has been my best friend for a long time, and I don't want to hurt her. I also don't want her to be hurt by your pettiness. She and April got on really well tonight, and that makes me happy. You shouldn't feel threatened. She isn't trying to replace you. April is important to her, because April is important to me." He paused. "We are getting married on September 16th. I would really like April to be there, and I hope that you won't stand in her way."

Anna was slightly taken aback. The Luke that she knew 13 years ago could barely string a sentence together. The man standing in front of her was pulling together entire speeches at the drop of a hat. He was passionate about this woman, and would obviously defend her to the death. That kind of thinking was reassuring somehow. If Luke was going to defend a girlfriend like this, then surely he would be willing to look out for April's best interests, especially if he cared about her as much as he claimed.

Her gruff exterior faded slightly, and she hesitantly replied "okay".

Luke glanced at her in surprise, expecting a fight like he usually got. "Thanks" he said as he turned to walk away.

"This Lorelai... she'd better be for keeps. I don't want April to get hurt," Anna called after him.

He looked directly at her. "She is," he said forcefully.

He climbed into the truck. "Everything all right out there?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. Real good," he smiled at her, and leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips.

Lorelai watched Anna staring at them as they drove away, and understood some of what was going through her mind. She had had the same apprehensions about Rory spending time with Sherry. She let Luke take her hand as they drove back to Stars Hollow, and looked over at him.

"Thank you for tonight," she said gently. "I had a great time, and I have a feeling April did too."

"I'm glad that you're happy. I'm happy too. We needed to do this."

He squeezed her hand, and concentrated on the road.


	4. Pride Come Before the Fall

**Pride Comes Before The Fall**

They stood in front of the door, waiting.

"I don't wanna" Lorelai pouted, starting to turn away.

Luke grabbed her and held her in place. "They're your parents," he soothed, "you have to tell them about your wedding plans. Can you imagine what the reaction would be if they just received an invitation in the mail without hearing anything beforehand?"

"We can just not invite them. Then they wouldn't get the invitation," she countered.

"Not an option, and you know it," he sighed as he reached across her and rang the bell.

The door swung open and Emily ushered them in.

"Wow. You're much better dressed than Mom's other maids," Lorelai snipped. "How did you get out of wearing that ugly uniform?"

Emily blatantly ignored her daughter, focussing all her attention on Luke instead. "Glad you could join us, Luke. It's been a while". She fixed him with a pointed stare.

Luke ran his hands through his hair nervously. "Yeah... well. Um... good to see you too Mrs Gilmore." He looked at Lorelai with a desperate look on his face.

Lorelai took the hint, and plastered a huge smile on her face, handed their coats off to the real maid, who had just appeared, and started talking as she walked towards the drinks cart. "So, Mom, how are things with the DAR? Is Dad going to be joining us tonight? Is Rory here yet?"

Lorelai started to make two martinis as Emily shook her head. "Yes, Lorelai, the DAR is going very well, thank you for asking. Your insincere interest is increasing daily, I see. Yes, your father will be joining us shortly. He is taking a business call, which apparently is much more important than having drinks hour with his family..." She looked towards Luke as if to indicate that she didn't consider him to be family. "Rory is running a bit late. She had a final this afternoon, which I'm sure you knew about of course, and she will be arriving in time for dinner. Although at this rate, I can't imagine that anything is actually being prepared in that kitchen – at least nothing was cooking last time I was in there. Honestly, these maids keep getting worse and worse."

"I'm sure she has it under control, Mom", Lorelai placated. "And yes, of course I knew that Rory had a final today. I just wasn't sure what time it finished."

"Yes of course you did", Emily mumbled as she sat down with her drink tightly gripped in both hands.

Luke and Lorelai exchanged a confused look at Emily's unusual demeanour, but shrugged it off. Anyone who tried to unravel the complexity that is Emily Gilmore's mind would be in for a terrifying time.

The group sat in silence for what seemed like a year, but was probably only 20 seconds, before Richard strolled into the room, breaking the tension somewhat. He walked in, shook Luke's hand and greeted his daughter, oblivious to the look on his wife's face. He poured himself a scotch and sat down.

"So, Luke. How's the diner going?"

"It's just the same as always, sir. Running smoothly. Making a nice little profit," Luke answered politely. He moved his hand so that it was covering Lorelai's, and subconsciously began to stroke her fingers with his thumb. He looked into her eyes, and mouthed "Tell them."

Lorelai grimaced, but took a deep breath and began to speak. "Mom, Dad... Luke and I are getting married..."

Richard chuckled. "Well, that's not exactly new information, Lorelai." The look on Emily's face changed slightly. Lorelai could see surprise and a little bit of fear expressed.

Lorelai continued. "On the 16th of September." She glanced happily at Luke, and squeezed his hand.

Richard grinned. "Well, that's lovely news, isn't it Emily?" She simply nodded slightly. "Would you like me to book a room at the club? Or the Goodwin Hotel would be lovely..."

"No, Dad. That's not necessary, but thank you," Lorelai interrupted. "We're going to be having the ceremony in the town square. It's quite fitting really. It's where we had our first unofficial date, and where we celebrated our engagement..." She trailed off.

Emily exploded. "No Lorelai! That is quite unacceptable! I will not allow any child of mine to be married on the street of some dump town surrounded by God knows what type of trash! Honestly, Lorelai! It's like you were switched at birth to have such bad judgement and so little taste!" She stormed up the stairs, and locked herself in her bedroom.

The two men sat in stunned silence, trying to work out what had just happened.

But Lorelai was not going to take such an outburst lying down. She stormed up the stairs, yelling at her mother. "You cannot talk to me like that! This is my wedding, and it will be to MY specifications!" She began banging on the locked door, as she continued to yell. "You have no right to make decisions for me, or to look down your nose at the way I live my life! Because it is MY life, mother, not yours! I will not accept your contempt anymore!" When Emily didn't open the door, Lorelai let out a frustrated scream, and went to her old bedroom, slamming the door so that the picture on the wall fell down, smashing into a million pieces.

Downstairs, amidst all the hubbub, nobody had noticed Rory come in the front door, and witness the elder two Gilmore women's scene. She quietly walked into the living room, and sat in the place where her mother had been sitting minutes earlier.

"I should..." Rory began, looking towards the stairs.

Luke laid a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Just let them calm down for a minute."

She nodded at him, and they continued to sit in silence.

Emily knocked on Lorelai's door and let herself in. "Lorelai, it is 7 o'clock. Come down to dinner."

"Why? So you can continue your berating of my existence for the millionth time? So I can sit there while you mock my wedding to the man I love?"

Emily could see the anger and hurt written all over her daughter's face, and her own anger slipped away. "I may have over-reacted. I apologize," Emily said quietly. A look of absolute shock came over Lorelai's face. Emily Gilmore was apologizing? "No need to call in Dr. Phil, Lorelai." She paused, and looked at her daughter. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do – marrying him?"

"Yes it is, Mom!" Lorelai yelled. "I know you don't approve. I know you think he's not good enough for me, but the truth is, I'm not good enough for him. I love him!"

For once, Emily didn't rise to the bait. "Calm down, Lorelai. That day in the real estate office..." she began. "This man hurt you more than I've ever seen you hurt. I know that we don't always get along, but I do not want to see my only child unhappy."

Realization dawned over Lorelai, and her anger ebbed away. "Oh," she let out. "Well... we're both making more of an effort, and I'm totally sure that we can make it work now. Don't worry about me," she brushed it off, "I'm a big girl."

Emily took a long look at Lorelai, and sighed. "As long as you're sure." She went to leave the room.

"Mom?" Lorelai called at her.

Emily turned.

"It wasn't about it being in the town square, was it?"

"No. Whatever makes you happy, Lorelai."

Richard, Luke and Rory were shocked to see the two women walking down the stairs in relative calm. Neither of them appeared to be missing any limbs, or bleeding at all. Emily plastered her hostess smile onto her face and addressed the room. "I believe that dinner is being served."

Luke waited for Lorelai to reach him, put his hand on the small of her back to guide her to the dining room, and leaned towards her. "Is everything okay?" he asked her quietly.

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, it's fine. Quite a dramatic wedding announcement we give, don't we?"

"Well, I could never say that you were boring," he quipped.

They ate dinner in a strained, civilized manner.

After the door had closed behind them on their way out, Rory walked over to Luke. Lorelai was already seated in the Jeep, playing music.

"You are going to look after her this time, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Yip," he replied. "I think that making some small sacrifices to keep your mother happy is much preferable to the hoard of torch-carrying villagers which would be set onto me if I messed up now."

"Well yeah," Rory mused. "As much as Stars Hollow likes you, I think they might put themselves on her side. She can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

"And Taylor would take any excuse to take me down."

They both laughed.

"I'll be home in a week, so I'll be able to keep an eye on the two of you then," Rory told him. "All I have to do is keep you together for another three months, and the deal will be sealed. After that, I'm sorry – but you're on your own."

"Sure. See you, Rory."

"'Bye, Luke."

"What was that?" Lorelai asked as he got into the passenger seat.

"I've been warned. The great Rory has spoken, and I'm on my last warning, apparently," he grinned at her.

She drove in silence for a while. "You know, Luke, you're not the only one who is to blame for things getting so messed up." He looked at her questioningly. "I should have talked to you sooner before it got to the point where I'm breaking down in front of my mother of all people in a realtors office; or telling the whole town how much Lane and Zach are lucky, because they can at least make it to the altar. I should have told you how scared I was of losing you – losing what we had." There were tears streaming down her cheeks, making her mascara run.

"Oh, no... hey..." he said soothingly, rubbing his hand on her leg. "Um... do I want to know what either of those things meant?"

She shook her head. "It's in the past now. This time, we are going to make it down the aisle if I have to drag you there myself."

"No need." He looked at her. "No doubts anymore. I'll be the first one there. Waiting for you."

"You'd better be." She playfully pushed him. "We've waited 10 years already."


	5. The Perfect Dress

**The Perfect Dress**

Lorelai looked down at her list.

"Tell people" she read out loud, trying to snuggle further down in the bed.

" Well, we've told April, Rory, Sookie, and your parents personally," he reminded her, "and you told Babette this afternoon, so the whole town should know by now."

"Right. Check." She crossed it off her list. "Venue."

"Gazebo. But we probably need to get a permit or something to have an event there. Argh," he groaned.

"I'll talk to Taylor next week sometime. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," she teased. "Food. That would be Sookie. She's already started. Check." She crossed another point off her list.

"She's already started? The wedding isn't for another three months. Why would she... don't worry. I shouldn't be so surprised." Luke shook his head. He looked over her shoulder. "Dress," he read. "Check."

"Um... pass. Come back to that one."

"Huh?" Luke was confused.

"Well, yeah I do already have a dress, and it's beautiful. However, you've already seen me in it, which is unlucky; and more importantly, that dress was supposed to be for June 3rd. I have to try and get my head around whether I want to use that one or buy a new one."

"Oh." Luke didn't get girls. In his eyes, it was just a dress. Who cares if it was bought for a different wedding? It was still the same people, just on a different day. If he had bought a tux for June 3rd, he wouldn't have thought twice about using it again. He reached over and took her reading glasses off her face and placed them on the nightstand. He took the notepad and pen out of her hand, and put them next to the glasses. "Well, you have three months to think about it. It doesn't have to be tonight, does it?"

She shook her head, and let him pull her towards him. He kissed her neck, and she let out an involuntary moan. "Tomorrow is another day," she sighed.

"Sure is, Scarlett."

Luke was at the diner Sunday morning, and Lorelai was standing in front of her mirror in her wedding dress. She frowned at her reflection. She picked up the phone and called Sookie.

"Sook, do I need to get a new wedding dress?" Lorelai asked her friend as soon as she answered the call.

"I don't think so..." Sookie answered hesitantly. "When you look at yourself in it, what do you see?"

She didn't hesitate. "I see June 3rd." Lorelai sighed. "But this is the perfect dress. I'll never find one that looks this good," she wailed.

"Can you afford to buy another one?" Sookie asked the blunt question, and Lorelai hesitated.

"Well... since we aren't going to have to pay for a venue, and pretty much the whole town has offered to help, our costs are down. But we lost all those deposits on the last one. I don't know!" she wailed. "I guess I could afford it."

"So we go shopping then. It can't hurt. Either you'll find something that is just as perfect, but without the memories attached, or you'll realize that you already have the right dress. You win either way. We can take a couple of hours off tomorrow afternoon. Mondays are always slow."

"Sure. That sounds good," Lorelai agreed. She knew that Sookie would see the bigger picture and give her good advice.

After Lorelai hung up the phone, she twirled in the mirror, and fingered the delicate embroidery on the bodice. She really did love this dress. It was beautiful, and fit her like it was made with her in mind. She remembered back to the day when she had been trying it on, and Luke had walked in. He had stood frozen to the spot as she descended the stairs, and the look on his face was one of absolute awe. That look was one that she wished she could bottle, so she could see it over and over, and retain that feeling of absolute love. She stopped, and frowned. At that time, he had known that he had a daughter for over a month, and was keeping it from her. She sighed, and reached for the zipper to take the dress off. Maybe a clean start would be best.

She picked up the phone again, and called the diner.

"Luke's." The man himself answered.

"Hey, it's me. Question." Lorelai hesitated.

"Shoot."

"Um... would you want me to get another dress, or use the same one. I mean, can we even afford to get a new one? Argh! I don't know!" Lorelai was frustrating herself even more. "What do you think?"

"Okay, calm. Deep breaths." Luke tried to placate her. "I want whatever you want. Sweetie, I just want you to be happy. Whatever will make you most comfortable – we can make it work."

"You sure?"

"Sure." Luke really just wanted her to be happy, and if buying a new dress would make the day better for her, he was happy with that.

Sookie bounded into the reception area of the Dragonfly Monday afternoon. "Shopping time!" she called to Lorelai.

"Of course," Michel grumbled. "The two of you go swanning off to go shopping in the middle of the day. Don't worry. Your lowly staff will take care of the inn. After all, we have nothing better to do. It's not like there is an auction of Celine Dion memorabilia occurring right at this minute in New York. I didn't want to go anyway." He turned back to the computer screen, mumbling something to himself.

"Oh Michel, thank you for offering to look after our pride and joy." Lorelai purposefully misunderstood him. "There is nobody else I would rather entrust this place to." She smiled at him.

"Where are we going first?" Sookie asked as they climbed into the Jeep.

"Hartford," Lorelai replied decisively. She handed Sookie a piece of paper. "Here are the names of a couple of places I want to try." She pressed play on the car stereo, and The Go-Gos blared out of the speakers at full volume. Sookie squealed happily as they drove away.

"I think you look good enough to eat," Sookie reassured Lorelai as she stood looking in the mirror in her 11th dress of the afternoon.

"That is high praise coming from you." Lorelai appraised her reflection. "It's not quite right", she decided, and walked towards the fitting room.

Sookie wandered around the store, fingering the gowns as she passed them. "Hey, what size are you?" Sookie called out.

"Um... eight, generally. Why?" her voice filtered out from the fitting room.

"Try this." Sookie pushed a dress at her through the curtain.

A minute later, Sookie hid her smile behind her hand, not wanting to influence Lorelai's opinion.

Lorelai stood in front of the full-length mirror, and tears sprung to her eyes. "This is it," she whispered in awe. It was so different to her other dress. It was an off-the-shoulder gown with a sweetheart neckline, which hugged her torso perfectly, before flaring out over her hips towards the ground. There was a hint of a train, but not enough to get in the way.

She was amazed. When she looked at herself in this dress, she could imagine marrying Luke. Until now, that had been an abstract idea. Now it was real. She could see the details so vividly. She saw the look on his face as she walked down the aisle. She saw him slipping the ring on her finger. She saw him kissing her. None of their problems mattered when she was in this dress. It was all in the past.

She turned to look at Sookie, and grinned. "Right. Now what do we do with the other dress. Never been used..."

They pulled up outside Sookie's house, and Lorelai picked up the box that contained her new dress. "Now, you take care of my baby, Sook. No babies go anywhere near it. And no matter what... Luke is not going to see it until I am walking down that aisle. I'm not taking that chance again." She hesitated before handing it over. "I, however, will be over all the time to check on it, and try it on." She smiled, and the story of Emily sneaking to try on her wedding dress popped into her head.

Lorelai stood looking into her closet that evening after she had stopped in to check on the Dragonfly. She pulled out her old dress, and sighed. "You really are beautiful. Unfortunately, you are a June 3rd dress. You just wouldn't fit in on September 16th. Sorry," she told the dress. "I'll miss you though." She pushed her clothes to one side, and placed the dress right at the back, spreading the rest of her clothes out again.


	6. He Holds all the Cards

**He Holds all the Cards**

"Taylor!" Lorelai screamed as she ran down the street. "Taylor!"

Taylor pretended to be really interested in the flowers he was examining, and ignored her.

"Taylor!" Lorelai appeared at his side, puffing, and threw herself down on the sidewalk in exhaustion.

"Oh. Good morning Lorelai!" Taylor exclaimed, still pretending he hadn't heard her screaming at him for the past minute. "You know, dear, you really should look after yourself better. It's not normal for someone your age to be worn out after a short stroll."

Lorelai glared up at him, but didn't rise to the challenge. "Taylor. I…." she puffed, "Do we need to get a permit or anything to get married in the square?"

"Well…" he pretended to be considering the proposal.

"Come on, Taylor. Don't be mean." She looked at him pleadingly.

He glanced up towards the diner, and an evil look came into his eyes. He smirked a little. "You'll have to make a presentation at the town meeting on Thursday, and have the FULL support of everyone present. It's the proper protocol." He turned to walk away. "I expect visual aids. Goodbye." Taylor was proud of himself. Nobody else got to plan town events, especially events that weren't going to include him, the town selectman. That square was hallowed ground. Washington himself had walked through there, according to local legend, and it was up to Taylor Doose to protect the integrity of the area.

Lorelai stared at his retreating figure. "Visual aids?," she exclaimed. "What the hell?" She started to walk towards the diner.

When Lorelai told Luke what Taylor had said, she couldn't help grinning, knowing that the inevitable rant was about to begin. She was not disappointed.

"This is absolutely ridiculous! Who does Taylor think he is? The freaking Sultan of Brunei? He can't toy with people like this. How is us getting married going to adversely affect the town? Come on! Practically the whole town will be there anyway, regardless of whether we invite them. Taylor himself will most likely be there! How can he object to it? Liz and TJ didn't have to jump through hoops like this. But, no. Taylor Doose sees a way to annoy me, and he grabs at it with both hands! The Kaiser has spoken!"

"Rant, Luke, Rant!" Lorelai encouraged him.

"If he says no, then I'll kick his ass. I'll throw my frying pan at his head again. And anything else heavy I can get my hands on. He'll be sorry. This is my wedding. He's just doing this to spite me."

The diner was awfully quiet, and Lorelai was almost bouncing on her stool, she was so happy. Full blown Luke-rants had been few and far between in recent weeks.

He saw the look of glee on her face, and stopped. "You get way too much enjoyment out of this. It's scary. Rory was right – you are multi-faceted abnormal."

"Ah, but you love me anyway," she retorted, leaning over the counter to kiss him.

"God knows why," he mumbled as she took her to-go coffee and strutted out of the diner.

Thursday evening, Lorelai was the first person at Miss Patty's for the town meeting. She was clutching a huge flip-chart which she had been working on all day. She'd show Taylor Doose. He wanted a presentation, he'd get the best presentation in the history of town meetings. Better than his stupid diorama of the Ice Cream Shoppe with its' stupid 20 foot horse.

As Taylor walked into the room, he did a double-take when he saw Lorelai sitting there alone, tapping her feet impatiently. He couldn't remember the last time she had been on time for a meeting, let alone early. She smirked at him, and he scowled back.

The room started to fill as townies wandered in and took their seats. Just as Taylor was banging in the meeting, Luke sat down next to Lorelai.

She looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"Well, I couldn't throw you to the lions without some sort of back-up. This way, at least I get to see you fight with Taylor. That's always amusing." He put his arm around her shoulders.

An hour later, they had sat through Taylor talking about an over-population of swans around the lake; a soda can he had found littering the street outside the market; the acceptable length of grass for people's lawns; and his plans for the upcoming Lazy Hazy Days of Summer festival, which included a hay-bale maze in the square, even though he himself was allergic to hay. The people were definitely getting restless - Lorelai included. As she looked around, she saw several people yawning. How would they appreciate her brilliant presentation if they were yawning? She rested her head on Luke's shoulder, and groaned. "How much longer?" she whispered in his ear.

"He looks like he's losing steam," Luke replied, nodding in Taylor's direction.

Finally, Taylor finished his diatribe about kids skateboarding on the church steps, and he called Lorelai to the podium. She set up her beloved flip-chart.

"Lights, Kirk!" she called.

The room went dark, and then a spotlight shone on her flip-chart. She turned to the first page. It showed a picture of the gazebo covered in lights, and she had stuck cut out flowers all around it, and written 'Luke and Lorelai's Wedding' in Magic Marker in her neatest loopy writing at the top.

"Oooo, that's pretty!" Sookie called out. She nudged Jackson, beside her. "Isn't that pretty, honey?"

Jackson just grunted, and turned to Luke. "You sure you wanted to get involved in this world?" Jackson asked Luke.

"Well… probably a bit late now. Look at all the effort she's gone to, to tie me down. Would be a shame for her to have to go through all this with some other unsuspecting guy," Luke deadpanned.

Lorelai shot him a dirty look, and turned back to her board. She opened her mouth to start speaking.

Miss Patty suddenly stood up, and wrenched the gavel out of Taylors hands. "Sweetie. You don't need to do all of this. I'm sure nobody has anything against the two of you FINALLY getting married. We wouldn't care if you did it in the middle of Doose's, would we?" she emphasized, looking pointedly at Taylor.

"But…." Lorelai squeaked.

Miss Patty shushed her. "I, for one, would like to get out of this meeting while I still have the will to live – not that you're not interesting, honey. I need my beauty sleep. Anyway. All those in favor of the town square being used for the wedding…" Everyone put their hands up in the air enthusiastically. Everyone but Taylor.

"Can I just…" Lorelai tried to interrupt, flipping to the next page, which showed her proposed layout of the square for the wedding day. Patty was not to be deterred, however.

"All opposed?" Patty glared at Taylor, just daring him to make an objection. He sat still.

Patty took great pleasure in banging the gavel on the podium. "Then it's official. You can have your wedding, doll."

"Okay." Lorelai looked a little sad. "But I had a twenty minute presentation ready. Thanks Patty." She turned to Taylor. "I hope to see you there."

Taylor looked confused. "I'm invited?"

"Of course. The whole town is invited pretty much." Lorelai told him. The room was abuzz.

"Oh… good then." Taylor was blushing, proud that he was being involved in this important event in Stars Hollow history. They had all waited a long time for this day, watching every little nuance in their relationship for 10 years, and discussing the meaning of every look on street corners.

She looked at him curiously. "Does that make it a horse of a different color, then?"

"Something like that," he grumbled, and turned to sort his papers.

Lorelai walked back to her seat, and Luke saw the look of disappointment on her face. "Don't worry. You can do your presentation for me when we get home. It won't be all wasted," he told her.

Her face lit up. "Thanks. You're a doll." She leant over, and kissed him briefly.

As Luke was in the bathroom brushing his teeth later that night, Lorelai picked up the notepad that had been discarded on the nightstand. She looked at it, and grinned as she crossed out 'Dress' and 'Venue'.


	7. Mommy Daughter Day

**Mommy-Daughter Day**

"Rory's home! Rory's home! Rory's home! Rory's home! Rory's home! Rory's home!" Lorelai squealed, running towards the door.

In the kitchen, Luke smiled to himself, and flicked the coffee maker on. Ever since the town meeting three days ago, she had been counting down the hours until her daughter would be home, and then she had spent all morning staring out the window, waiting for the car to pull into the drive.

Lorelai burst out the front door, and knocked Rory to the ground in her rush to get a hug from her. "I can't believe you're home. For the WHOLE summer! You're here until after the wedding! Three whole months of mommy-daughter time!"

Rory giggled. "Mom, I only saw you last week."

"But now you're here to live. Not just to have dinner."

"Sure. I see the difference." Rory was still sitting on the ground, giggling.

"It seems like forever since we were living together. I mean, last year, there was the unfortunate situation with the poolhouse living quarters." Rory looked guilty for a second. "The summer before that, you were in Europe with your grandmother..."

"Oh Mom, I really have been a sucky daughter, haven't I?" Rory was looking incredibly sad and guilty.

"No stress, sweets. We have the rest of our lives to make up for two summers apart. I'll let you know when the payback is. Your clue will be that Ashton Kutcher will jump out of the bushes, with several cameras when you're in a really embarrassing situation." Lorelai brushed off the guilt-trip, and just enjoyed the moment.

Luke was leaning against the doorframe. "When you two get around to coming inside, there is coffee ready," he called.

The two girls instantly leapt up, and ran inside. "You sure do know the way to our hearts," Lorelai called as she went past him.

"Doesn't take a genius," he replied, and went out to Rory's car to get her bags.

When he made it inside, Rory looked at him. "Oh, Luke. You didn't have to do that. I'm a big girl. I can carry my own bags."

"It's not a big deal." He dismissed her.

"You always say that. And these little things all add up to make you the best fiancé ever," Lorelai grinned at him.

"Um… I'm going to be at the diner for most of the day," Luke told them. He reached into the hall closet, and pulled out a box, placing it on the kitchen table. It looked heavy. Both girls eyed it suspiciously. "I… uh… thought you might like this stuff. Quality time, sort of…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed. Lorelai lunged for the box, but Luke stopped her. "Just wait until I'm gone, okay?"

"Sure… okay." She was confused. "You leaving now?" she asked him. When he nodded, she pointed towards her lips. "Kiss," she commanded, and he obliged.

As soon as the door was closed behind him, Lorelai and Rory abandoned their coffees, and scrambled to open the box, which was taped shut pretty tightly.

Once it was opened, Lorelai gasped. "He really does love me," she giggled, pouring through the contents. Inside was a stack of DVDs, a ton of junk food, and an envelope.

On the outside of the envelope was written "For Mommy-Daughter Day". She opened it, and inside found a coupon for two mani/pedi treatments at a spa near Litchfield, with appointments arranged for that afternoon.

"Oh! My boyfriend is so amazing!" Lorelai pronounced dreamily, hugging the coupons to her chest.

"He is amazing, isn't he?" Rory mused.

"Hands off, Gilmore – he's mine!"

"That's fine," Rory assured her, opening a package of Ding-Dongs from the box and taking a bite. She swallowed, and added "I'm very happy with Logan, thank you very much."

"We are just the luckiest girls in the world. We have the dreamiest beaux." Lorelai did her best Southern Belle impression, and Rory giggled, taking another Ding-Dong out of the packet.

"Okay. Plan of attack," Rory said seriously, looking at her watch. "These appointments are in just over an hour and a half. I figure we get changed, go to Luke's for lunch, and then drive out there to get pampered."

"It's a plan, Stan," Lorelai agreed, and saluted, before running upstairs.

Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner with grins on their faces.

"There he is – my handsome provider," she giggled to Rory, purposely loud enough for everyone to hear her. "You know exactly how to keep me happy, don't you?" she directed towards Luke as she moved towards the counter.

"Ah.. jeez, Lorelai." Luke was going bright red. "Do you mind?" he told her, motioning towards the other customers.

"No, not at all," she grinned. "And I'm sure that everyone here would love to know just how great you are. I could sing your praises for days."

"Please don't," he muttered. "What can I get you?"

"These lovely ladies would like cheeseburgers with extra cheese, chili fries, and lots and lots of coffee," Rory told him, "and make it snappy, good sir, we have very important appointments to keep."

Luke rolled his eyes, and wrote down their order.

As they walked towards a table by the window, Lorelai called back to him. "And also, donuts to tide us over until the burgers get here. Hop to it!"

"With sprinkles," Rory amended.

When Luke brought their food over, Lorelai beckoned him closer. "Thank you for our present. What possessed you to do it?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I saw how excited you were to have her home. You deserve to have some time together. Ahh…. I was also thinking I might sleep in my apartment tonight – give you two some more time to do your girlie thing."

"I don't think so mister," Rory interrupted. "By the time the diner is closed, I am going to be completely sick of her, so you need to come and relieve me of my duties. I'm relying on you, Luke."

"Hey!" Lorelai feigned offense. "How could you ever get tired of your wonderful, amazing mother? I gave you life! I fed you and clothed you, and this is the thanks I get?"

Luke shook his head and walked back to the counter. He watched the two girls whispering and giggling together, every so often looking up at him, and then laughing again.

They returned to the house relaxed after having their nails tended to, along with both hand and foot massages. Rory dragged the box Luke had given them into the living room, and started to sort through it.

"Oh! Casablanca!" she exclaimed. "Freddy got Fingered…. Oh wow! He got us Pippi!"

Lorelai squealed. "Pippi? Put it in, put it in, put it in!"

After Pippi finished, Lorelai turned to her daughter. "Okay. Gossip time," she began. "So what's the deal with Logan now? With him going to London and everything, are you still staying together?"

"Yeah," Rory shrugged. "I know that the long distance thing is going to be really hard, but I really like him, so we'll find a way to make it work, I hope." She wiggled around trying to find a more comfortable position. "But more importantly, you have a wedding in three months. I hardly know anything about it. Tell me everything!"

"Okay, but there isn't really much to tell at the moment. I was kinda saving a lot of the detailed preparations until you got home," Lorelai told her. A big grin spread over her face. "And now you're here!" She jumped across the couch, and embraced Rory in a bear-hug.

"How are things with you and Luke going now? Are you all sickeningly Brad and Angelina again?" Rory asked.

"Well, there are no kids from third world countries running around the Crap Shack yet, but we're better than ever, really," Lorelai mused. "Yeah, there was a lot of crap there for a while, but it's better for both of us if we just let it go, and not dwell on it. There's no point. I'm just concentrating on looking forward now, to our wedding, and then marriage. It'll be great." She grinned, and Rory could see that she was completely telling the truth.

They had finished watching Gone with the Wind and The Notebook, and were half way through American Pie: Band Camp, when Luke walked in the door.

"Sorry. Don't let me interrupt," he said nervously, when he saw them on the couch.

"Don't be silly. Come here," Lorelai motioned for him to join them. "Honestly, this has to be the worst movie I have seen in a long time. The interruption is much appreciated."

He sat next to her, and she cuddled into him. From his position, he could see that his box was completely empty. "Seriously? You ate everything?" He stared at them in shock. "I thought that that amount of food would last for a week."

Both girls burst out laughing. "Oh, Luke, babe," Lorelai looked at him, trying to be serious, "you have so much to learn."

Rory glanced at the two of them sitting comfortably at the other end of the couch, and then glanced at the TV screen. She faked a yawn, and stretched as she stood up. "I think I'm going to go to bed," she told them. "This movie really is terrible."

"Yeah it is," Lorelai agreed vaguely. "Night, hon. I'm really glad you're home."

"Yeah, me too." Rory walked into her bedroom.

Lorelai took Luke's hand, and led him upstairs. Once they were in bed, she snuggled up to him, nuzzling his neck.

"Not with Rory in the house," Luke scolded her.

Lorelai laughed at him. "Seriously?" she asked him. "You do realize that she is going to be here all summer. Are you really wanting to be celibate until we get married?"

"No," he admitted. "It'll just take me a bit to get used to it. Did you guys have a good day? Was it everything you expected?"

" Yeah, it was perfect," she told him, looking directly into his eyes. "It was even better because you understood, and helped me in my mommy-daughter obsession. You're an enabler." She giggled. "I really like having both my favorite people in the same house."

"Who? Rory, and yourself?" he joked.

"No silly. It's Rory, then you," she gestured showing the two points close together, "then me." She gestured to where she was, much further down than the other two.

He grabbed her bottom hand. "Mine's like this," he said, and pushed her 'Lorelai' hand up as far as she could reach. "I love you."

They snuggled down into the bed to sleep. "I love you, too." Lorelai told him. "Thank you for organizing our perfect day," she muttered as she fell asleep.


	8. Get Out of Town

**Get out of town**

Lorelai walked into the diner, and sat at her favorite stool at the counter. "Morning," she called to Luke. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss, then poured her coffee. "I have gossip."

Luke gave her a sidelong glance. "Seriously? Do I look like East Side Tillie?"

"Well..." she appraised him, "you're a lot hotter..."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. What's your important gossip that I desperately want to know?"

"It's a secret," she told him, and leaned closer so she could whisper. "I'm not telling you which one, but one of your employees is pregnant." She grinned.

Luke looked at her, and shook his head. "You do realize that Lane is my only female employee, don't you. Your Secret Squirrel act kinda back-fired. Hang on! Lane and Zach have only been married for like, five minutes. That was fast."

Lorelai shrugged. "Meh! I wouldn't have kept it secret from you for long anyway. Zach's quite proud of himself, saying he got her on the first try." She pointed at her already empty coffee cup.

Luke sighed, and refilled it. "That's your last one this morning."

Lorelai gasped. "You're cutting me off? Your best customer?"

Luke laughed at her. "Customer? Customer infers that I receive money. I don't remember the last time you paid for anything in here."

"Whatever, Judge Judy. Anyway... do you have any plans for this weekend?"

"This?" He gestured around the diner. "But nothing out of the ordinary."

"Great. Well, we don't have too much going on at the inn, so I was thinking we could go away somewhere," she suggested, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Ah... yeah, sure. I can probably get Lane and Caesar to look after this place. Shouldn't be a problem."

"Great." She grinned at him, almost bouncing in her obvious excitement. "I'll organize everything. See you late, babe."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" Luke asked as he was loading her luggage into his truck on Saturday morning.

"Nope," she grinned.

"Do you see any problem with this plan?" he asked her as he secured the last of their stuff. "I need to know where to drive. And you're not exactly the most reliable navigator."

He had got her there. She considered her options, and gave in. "Okay, smarty-pants. Take the I-84 north. Is that enough for now?"

"Yes. Perfect. Thank you." He put his arms around her waist as they went back inside to say goodbye to Rory.

Lorelai sat on the bed in their hotel room in Boston. "Right, first things first," she told Luke. "How do you feel about shopping?"

"Not great, really."

"That's what I thought." She looked devious. "That's why I was thinking that after spending an hour shopping, we could do whatever you wanted for the rest of the night. Considering you still haven't managed to get over your fear of having sex with Rory in the house, I think I can work out what that might be." She gave him an evil smile.

He looked sheepish. "Not necessarily. There's also a Red Sox game on later. We're playing Chicago, and I think we have a pretty good chance."

Even though she could tell he was teasing, her eyes still glazed over at the thought of baseball. Her eyes roamed around the room, and settled on a lamp on the nightstand. "Ooh! Sparkly. Pretty lamp."

Luke sighed. "One hour of shopping, and then you're all mine, Gilmore," he called as he walked into the bathroom.

"I've always been yours, Danes," she called back seductively, and giggled at her own frankness.

"Can we hurry it up, Lorelai?" Luke called into the dressing room. "I really don't feel comfortable in here." He looked around at the other customers in Victoria's Secret, well aware that he was the only guy in the store.

"Patience, hon," Lorelai answered. "Trust me, you will be very appreciative of this shopping trip later on."

"I'm sure I will, but right now, I wish that I had some sort of Michael J. Fox time machine so I could skip this particular experience."

"Ooo, good reference. I'm really rubbing off on you," Lorelai giggled. "Speaking of which, come here. What do you think of this?"

He peeked through the curtain and saw what she was wearing. For a minute, he seemed to lose all ability to speak. Once he regained use of his voice, he sounded impatient. "Forget about the game. Get changed, we are paying for this 'outfit', and going back to the hotel."

She grinned at his reaction. "You're the boss," she smiled sweetly at him.

A couple of hours later, as they waited for their room service to arrive, Lorelai switched the TV on to reveal the baseball game. She looked at it for a few seconds, then turned towards Luke. "So, which one is the team you like?" she asked him.

"Well, the ones batting are ours – the Boston Red Sox," he explained, pointing to the batter.

"Hey! We're in Boston!" she exclaimed.

Luke shook his head and laughed. "Your powers of observation astound me."

"You should have said something," she said snuggling in closer to him. "We could have gone to the game."

Luke laughed. "That would have been great, but there is one flaw in your otherwise perfect plan."

"What?" she had a mixture of confusion and disappointment on her face.

"They're playing in Chicago," he explained.

"Oh..." she sighed. "So, are you going to explain how this thing works?"

"Sure," he said smiling, happy that she was at least pretending to be interested in something he liked.

As they lay in bed that night on the verge of sleep, Lorelai turned back towards Luke. "Are you scared at all?" she asked him.

"What?" he asked her groggily.

"Well, it's only two months until we get married. It's coming up fast. And the closer it gets, the faster the time is going to go. In no time at all, I'm going to be Mrs Danes," she grinned at the thought.

He opened his eyes, and smiled. "That sounds really nice, Mrs Danes. Not scared at all. You?"

"Excited more, I guess. Kinda the way I felt when I was waiting for Charlie's Angels 2 to come out on video."

"Glad to know that I rate right up there with Cameron Diaz."

She rolled onto her back, half-heartedly hitting him at the same time. "Don't really think I'd want to do all these dirty things with her. And it's like the whole wedding thing is just not a big deal. Like it seems so natural to be marrying you, that there's nothing to be scared about."

Luke threaded his fingers through hers, and kissed the back of her hand. "Most natural thing in the world," he whispered, and closed his eyes again, slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Come on Luke. 'C'."

"Lorelai, I am not playing 'I Spy' with you."

"But it's a road trip. You have to play car games," she pouted. She poked him in the side, causing him to squirm, and the car swerved just a tiny amount.

"Lorelai!" he yelled.

"Fine. I'll be good," she continued to pout. "And it was 'Cow', by the way." She slunk down in her seat.

He reached over, and took her hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It's been a really nice weekend. Thank you for organizing it."

She squeezed his hand in reply. Eventually she spoke. "Anytime. I just like spending time just the two of us, you know." She looked out the window for a bit longer. "And don't feel bad about telling me that I'm being annoying. Sometimes I forget that not everybody likes to play the little games and stuff that Rory and I like. But tell me, honestly. Otherwise we'll have the situation we had before, where we don't talk to each other."

He let out a chuckle. "Sure. I will never stop telling you that you're a pain in the backside. For the rest of our lives."


	9. April's First Time

**April's First Time**

Luke placed the bagel on the counter with a sigh. "Just please don't disturb my other customers," he grumbled.

"Who?" Lorelai looked around the near empty diner. "Kirk?"

"Seriously Luke, look at these faces," April motioned towards the three of them. "Do we really look like trouble-makers?"

"You two I trust," he told his daughter. "It's that bigger one who's likely to corrupt you." He looked pointedly at Lorelai.

"Hey!" Rory chimed in. "I lived with her for 18 years, and I'm doing okay. Bagel hockey is not a bad thing. It's an essential part of being a Gilmore. April has to learn and perfect the art."

Luke rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving the girls to play.

"Rory Gilmore takes the first serve of the match, and leaves the other players in her wake," Lorelai started to commentate as the game started.

"Don Cherry you are obviously not," April commented.

"Maybe not, but I'm Lorelai the Great. I can out-talk any talker-guy in the biz."

"Lorelai the Great, or Lorelai the Late?" asked Rory.

"Hey! I resent that!"

"It is, however, completely founded..." started April. "You arrived here today 35 minutes after you said you would be here, while Rory and I were right on time."

"What is this?" Lorelai asked, glaring at the two girls. "Are you two ganging up on me now?"

"Yip," Rory answered with a grin. "We spent last night trying to decide between Crips and Bloods. We decided on Crips because I look great in blue."

"Glad that your illegal allegiances are determined by fashion. You really are your mother's daughter." Lorelai nodded slowly, as if considering the implications of their new-found gang-status.

"I am taking no pleasure in having my fashion choices compared to you," Rory told her mother. "And anyway, Dad seems to be quite the snappy dresser when he wants to be."

Lorelai laughed. "Your father has no innate fashion ability whatsoever. Everything he wears is completely determined by whichever femme-bot he is dating at the time." She turned towards April. "You, however, had no choice but to gain all your clothing knowledge from your mother." All three of them turned to look at Luke's clothes. Even though it was a sweltering summer day, he was still wearing jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, and flannel.

An evil look came across April's face. "Hey, Luke, can we pretty you up later?"

He turned to Lorelai. "Jeez, Lorelai. Didn't I just tell you to keep the corruption of my daughter to a minimum?"

"That was all her. I take no responsibility for that one. I do, however, second the motion," Lorelai told him, grinning up at him as she blocked April's shot at goal.

"Without even looking. You're improving, Gretzky!" Rory complimented her mother, and quickly snagged the bagel back into her own possession.

"Would you like to be my manager?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"Hmmm... depends," Rory said, pretending to consider the offer. "Would I just be managing your career, or would I also have to attempt to manage your behavior? Because that, I cannot do."

"My behavior is angelic," Lorelai said, smiling sweetly. "It's the rest of the world who is unruly."

"Yeah, that's right," April agreed without a hint of sarcarsm in her voice. "And Angelina Jolie is the perfect girl-next-door type who you'd love to take home to meet your mother."

"But if you were with Angelina," Rory mused, "you'd have the perfect in with Brad, and then I could marry him. Once that's happened, then feel free to break up with her and go back to Bono, have seven more children, and start the first ever Bagel Hockey League."

"And what happens with my beautiful husband-to-be?" Lorelai asked.

"He can be your little bit on the side," Rory suggested. "We can tell Angelina, because I'm sure that she'll like the idea of you swinging both ways. We should, however probably keep him hidden from Bono, as I don't think we really want to have either of their faces all munched up from the inevitable fist fight that will occur."

"What we talking about?" Luke asked as he approached them.

"You hiding in the closet from Bono," April explained.

"Fair enough," he nodded, and quickly retreated.

Lorelai was busy watching him as he walked away, smiling, when she heard April shout. "Nardini scores! And the crowd goes wild!"

"Argh! Rookie mistake! Never take your eye off the pastry," Lorelai chastised herself. She watched as April ran around the empty diner, taking her imaginary lap of honor.

As she returned to the counter, Rory congratulated her. "They were some excellent reflexes you just exhibited, Nardini. Venus Williams needs to watch out."

"Now, if only I could put my skills to good use – in something that isn't sport," April mused.

"Maybe that wrist action would come in good use when you take over the family business," Rory suggested.

Lorelai giggled. "Wrist action. So dirty."

April looked at her curiously.

"Uh… forget I said that. I'll explain it to you in a few years," Lorelai said, blushing. The girls could almost see the lightbulb brighten over her head. "Or…" she began evilly, "you could go right now, and ask your dad what it means." She laughed even more, and Rory shook her head in disgust.

"I'm thirteen. I think I get it. And I have a feeling that that would go down about as well as discussing an exit strategy with John McCain," April quipped.

"Or like Britney Spears writing a parenting book," Rory suggested.

"Or telling Amy Winehouse that she has to go for a month without any substances – legal or illegal," Lorelai added.

April laughed. "Says the woman with the biggest coffee addiction in the Western world."

"I can't help it if your father brews the caffeine equivalent of black gold. Texas Tea. Oil that is," Lorelai defended herself.

"That's really doesn't make it sound very appetizing, Mom." Rory looked slightly disgusted.

"You, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, are in absolutely no position to deny the all round greatness that is Luke's coffee. I have heard you sing songs of praise to it," Lorelai told her, pointing an accusing finger at Rory.

"Maybe I need to try this miracle liquid for myself," April pondered.

Both Lorelai and Rory's faces brightened.

Lorelai looked over to check that Luke was safely away in the kitchen, and rounded the counter to pour three cups of the black heaven. "Okay, April. This is a great moment. Take your time, savor it, but whatever you do, don't get caught by your father. He would have his lynching rope out in a matter of seconds."

April nodded, and cautiously took a sip, all the while keeping an eye on the door to the kitchen. She smiled. "That is good," she told them, nodding.

Huge grins spread across Rory and Lorelai's faces, and they gave each other high fives. "We've done it! We converted her!" Lorelai squealed. She lowered her voice, and leant towards April. "Welcome to the dark side. You will enjoy it much over here. It will drive Luke crazy, but I think you have now become an honorary Gilmore."

April giggled, and put the cup down as Luke walked out of the kitchen. Lorelai quickly picked up the discarded cup, and pretended to drink out of it.

"Why do you have two?" Luke asked her.

She smiled at him innocently. "Because I was extra thirsty, darling. You're not going to deny me my coffee, are you?"

"I should switch you both to decaf," he muttered.

"Huh! Did you not learn anything from my dream? We Gilmores have the nose. We can tell the difference between regular and decaf from 10 miles away." Lorelai acted shocked.

"No, I don't make a habit of learning things from other people's subconscious's," Luke grumbled. "So, who won? The game has finished I presume."

"I won," April told him. "I was awesome. I think I have a career in this. I'll just use science as a fall-back option."

Lorelai grinned, and looked at the other two girls. "Yes, April has had a very fruitful day. A life-changing day, if you will."

Luke looked at her. "Do I want to know?"

Lorelai leant over the counter, and kissed him. "No, you definitely do not." She started to pick up her purse, and Rory did the same. "April, it's Gilmore Girl movie night tonight. You've made the cut."

Rory was nodding seriously. "You have definitely been deemed worthy today."

April smiled. "I would love to," she told them. She looked directly at Luke. "No boys allowed, though, right?"

"Got it in one," Lorelai agreed.

After Lorelai and Rory left to diner to stock up on supplies for movie night, April turned to her father. "I am now officially a Gilmore Girl," she smiled.

Luke sighed. "Lord, help me."


	10. The Wicked Witch of the West

**The Wicked Witch of the West Casts her Spell**

Luke walked in the door that night and collapsed on the couch. "Argh! Bloody Anna!" he groaned.

Lorelai had been walking down the stairs to greet him, and froze when Anna's name was mentioned. Fear clouded her eyes. "What is it, babe? She's not still angry about me seeing April, is she?"

Luke could hear the panic in her voice, and smiled at her to try to calm her down. "No. Nothing like that." He patted the couch next to him, and she came and sat next to him. He took her hands and turned his body towards her. "So... Anna came to see me today," he began carefully.

She looked into his eyes, and saw fear and frustration in them. "Communication between mommy and daddy. That's a good thing, isn't it?" she asked him, not wanting to push the subject.

"Not so much," he sighed. "You know how Anna took April to New Mexico last week to visit with her mother?" Lorelai nodded, urging him to go on. "Her mother is apparently really sick, and Anna wants to be closer to her so she can help look after her." He paused, sighing. "She is going to move to New Mexico, and take April with her."

"Oh." Lorelai's face fell, and she understood the anguish that Luke was experiencing. "She can't just take April away from you, can she?"

"That's the thing. I'm not named on the birth certificate, so I have no legal rights. Anna said they might come back to Connecticut a few times a year, but she's not making any promises." His anger was beginning to rise again. "I've just started to really get to know my daughter, and now she's being taken away again!"

"Oh, hun," she soothed, pulling him to her. After a moment, she slowly reached for the cordless phone, trying not to disturb him. She dialled the number. "Mom?" she started, when the line was answered. Luke sat up and looked at her in confusion. "Do you know any good Family lawyers you could hook us up with?" She listened for a minute. "As soon as possible... uh huh ... uh huh ... sure. Thanks Mom." She hung up. She looked at an expectant Luke. "She's going to get you an appointment with one of Dad's lawyer friends. Just to see what you can do."

He gave her a small smile. "Thank you for helping," he whispered to her, and moved back to rest his head against her chest.

Two days later, Luke stepped out of the truck, tugging at his tie uncomfortably. Lorelai stepped towards him, helping him adjust it, and smoothed down his lapels. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "I can just wait out here if you'd prefer," she suggested.

He gripped her hand tightly. "No. I want you there – need you," he told her forcefully. She squeezed his hand in return, and led him up the stairs into the office.

"Lorelai Gilmore," the lawyer, Mr Henderson, called to her with a big smile on his face. "I haven't seen you in years. Since before 'the incident' I believe."

Luke raised his eyebrows at this comment, but Lorelai just smiled sweetly. "Yes, well. My daughter, Rory, is 21 now, so yes. It has been a long time." She motioned towards Luke. "This is my fiancé, Luke Danes. I believe that my mother filled you in on the issue."

Mr Henderson motioned for them to sit in front of his desk, and closed the door behind them. They went through the details of the case, and Luke's history with Anna and April.

"I don't want to have to sue her for custody or anything, if it's not necessary," Luke concluded, "I just want to be able to see my kid on a regular basis."

Mr Henderson nodded sympathetically. "Well our best course of action would be to ask Ms Nardini to sign a formal visitation agreement. If she refuses that, we can sue for joint custody. That will require a formal DNA test, and some great references for the mediation hearing." Luke nodded his understanding. "I will get in contact with Ms Nardini's lawyer, and see if a visitation agreement can be struck. I will get in contact with you in the next couple of days, whichever way it goes."

Luke and Lorelai stood and shook Mr Henderson's hand, thanking him for helping them. They were silent all the way to the truck. Once settled inside, Lorelai turned to him.

"We'll work something out. I can feel it." He sighed, and didn't look convinced. "Luke, you're a great dad. To April, and Rory... and even to Jess. They won't take her away from you."

Luke just continued to stare at his hands, resting on the steering wheel.

"I'm here for you – whatever you need," she told him gently.

He finally looked up, and gave her a small smile before starting the engine.

The call came three days later near the end of the lunch rush. Lorelai was sitting at the counter, eating a cheeseburger, and she watched his face as he spoke on the phone. He stayed expressionless while he talked to the lawyer, but hung up with a frown on his face. She saw how much he needed to vent, and stood up.

"Caesar, look after the place for five minutes, okay?" she called into the kitchen, and escorted Luke upstairs. "Spill," she commanded when the door was closed behind them.

He sighed. "She said no to the visitation thing. If I want to have any rights, I have to go for joint custody," he explained, flopping down on the couch. "Why is she doing this? I'm her father, I deserve to be part of April's life!"

Lorelai sat next to him, stroking his arm absent-mindedly, hoping that just her presence would be enough to calm him down.

"I know I'm Mr Jam-Hands, but it's different when it's your kid." He became very quiet. "I love her."

"Oh," Lorelai let out. She hadn't known that his feelings went that far.

"I never thought that I would be the dad kind of guy. I suppose I always believed what everyone else saw in me. This loner guy, who'll probably be single for the rest of his life – unable to care for anyone else..."

"No," Lorelai told him decisively. "You care for me and Rory more than anyone else in the world ever will."

He sighed. "Now, when I'm with April, I've started to feel this... connection. I feel like I could be a good father – both to April, or to any other kid I – we – had." Luke collapsed, his head falling into his hands.

Lorelai looked at his distraught figure, feeling so impotent. She couldn't see anything that she could do to take away the pain of the man that she loved. It was heartbreaking to see him like this, and she started to feel incredible anger towards Anna for putting him through this. Anna was the gatekeeper to April – she held all the cards. She had such a control over Luke, and it was so frustrating. She had a sudden urge to drive straight to Anna's house, and yell at her until her throat was hoarse, but restrained herself, instead making extra sure that she was doing a good job of comforting her fiancé.

Luke started to talk again as Lorelai rubbed his back. "Every time Anna does something to question my ability as a father, a little part of me believes her," her said quietly, unable to look up.

Lorelai sat in shock, unable to accept that Anna was making him question himself so much. It wasn't fair. She felt a tear slip down her cheek. It was all seeming so hard. They sat there in silence wrapped in each others arms, letting everything sink in.

"I talked to the lawyer guy this morning," Luke told Lorelai when she came in for lunch the next day.

She looked up at his face, trying to work out whether this was a good thing or not. Not getting any clue from his expression, she waited patiently for him to continue with his story. He was refilling a few cups of coffee, and then came back to lean in towards her.

"Because Anna wants to move pretty soon, they've pushed to get a fast court date. They've scheduled it for the 24th."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open in shock. "That's in, like, less than a week..."

He nodded. "So I need to find two people to write me personal references for the judge. We discussed it, and decided to ask Liz, cause of Jess... and you." He looked down at her pleadingly.

She took a deep breath, and seeing his expectant eyes, smiled. "Silly rabbit," she giggled. "Didn't I say the other day that I would do anything I could to help you? Of course I'll do it."

His whole body relaxed. "Thank you."

"Sure, Burger Boy. Now, if I have to get back to run my inn, and write an amazing letter praising your wonderfulness in Hemingway proportions, then I'm going to need some sustenance, stat."

"Of course." He leaned over for a quick kiss, before heading to the kitchen to create a feast for his future bride.


	11. A Tale of Two Letters

**A Tale of Two Letters**

"I now have two letters of recommendation to enter into evidence in support of Mr Danes," the judge told those gathered around the large table.

Luke looked around expectantly, and took a deep breath. He wished that Lorelai was there with him. The feeling of her hand on his knee would have been enough to keep him calm during this whole proceeding. It was somewhat comforting, however, to know that she was waiting just down the hall, still there after three hours, and would be there the second this was all over. As he looked past Anna, he saw her rolling her eyes, and stiffened slightly. Trying to ignore her, he concentrated on the judge.

"The first letter is from Elizabeth Danes," the judge continued, and began to read it out.

_"Dear Judge,_

_"What can I say about Luke?_

_"He's the best big brother a girl could have. All my life, Luke has looked out for me, and looked after me. When our mom died, it was Luke who took over all her duties. He cooked our meals, he kept the house clean, he tried to keep me under control, and he helped dad out with the store. He always put the needs of me and my dad ahead of his own. He supported me when I got pregnant and dropped out of school. He didn't approve, but he kept loving me anyway._

_"When dad got sick, it was Luke who nursed him, as well as trying to keep the store running._

_"A few years ago, I could no longer look after my son, and Luke took him into his home. He made sure that Jess went to school, and stayed out of trouble – so much better than I could have ever done. Now, Jess runs a successful business, and I am sure that if it wasn't for Luke's support, he never would have made anything of himself._

_"I've only seen April once, but the time I did, I could tell that there was a connection between them. I have a sense about these things, and Luke and April were great together._

_"I may not know as much about stuff as Luke does, but I do know one thing – Luke is my hero, and I know that if you give him the chance, he can be a hero to April too._

_"Thank You, Elizabeth Danes"_

Luke let out the breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. He had been worried that Liz would say something stupid. He'd had flashes of the Friends episode Lorelai had made him watch, 

when Joey had written a reference that sounded like a child had written it. But what Liz had written had been amazing. He didn't think that she would have said all those nice things about him. He had thought that he had failed with Jess, but the way that Liz told the story, he came off as Superman.

"The next recommendation is from Lorelai Gilmore," the judge said.

Luke glanced over at Anna, in time to see her face cloud over. She looked angry, and whispered something to her lawyer. "We would like to object to this evidence, your honor," the lawyer interrupted.

"On what grounds?" the judge questioned her.

"Ms Gilmore is engaged to the petitioner. She has, in recent times, had verbal conflicts with my client, and so is too biased to be accepted into evidence," the lawyer explained.

"Counsel, this is family court mediation. There are not going to be any unbiased testimonies. Everybody who is involved has some sort of allegiance to one party or the other," the judge dismissed.

"Fine. Thank you, your honor," Anna's lawyer conceded. A pout appeared on Anna's face. Luke made sure to show no emotion, but on the inside, he felt a small sense of satisfaction at seeing Anna being taken down a peg.

"Right," the judge began, and started to read Lorelai's letter.

_"To whom it may concern,_

_"In the nearly ten years that I have known Luke Danes, I have come to know him as an honest and decent man. He's also one of the most kind and caring persons I have ever met._

_"I am a single mother, and I raised my daughter by myself, but once Luke Danes became my friend in town, I never really felt alone. What is most impressive about Luke has been his relationship with my daughter, Rory. He's always been there for her no matter what. He was there to celebrate her birthdays, he was there cheering her on at her high school graduation._

_"Luke has been sort of a father figure in my daughter's life. With his own daughter, Luke wasn't given the opportunity to be there for her first 12 years, but he should be given that opportunity now._

_"Once Luke Danes is in your life, he's in your life forever. I know from personal experience what an amazing gift that is, and not to allow him access to his daughter would be to seriously deprive her of all this man has to offer – and he offers so much._

_"Thank you for your time._

_"Sincerely, Lorelai Gilmore"_

She put down the paper and closed the file.

Anna had been watching Luke's face as Lorelai's letter was being read, and saw the dreamy look, and the smile that slowly crept across his face. The realization that he truly loved this annoying woman took some of her anger away, but she really didn't like the slight pang of jealousy that came over her. What was wrong with her? She didn't want to be with Luke 14 years ago when she had broken up with him, knowing that she was pregnant with April. She also didn't want to be with him now. However, when they had been together, she had longed for him to look at her one tenth of the way he looked at Lorelai. She still longed for someone, anyone, to look at her like that.

The judge informed them that they were going to take a short break in order for her to consider the evidence. They filed out of the room, and Luke headed straight for where Lorelai was waiting. She stood as he approached her, a concerned look on her face.

"How'd it go?" she asked him, as he kissed her cheek and they sat down holding hands.

He nodded slightly. "Okay, I think. Your reference was amazing – Liz's too. I think they really helped me." He absent-mindedly rubbed her leg.

"Don't worry. I get this feeling that you are getting a miracle of 34th Street proportions. That dollar bill is coming your way, my friend."

"Thank you. After me being such a jerk about the whole April thing originally, you've been so great through this whole process."

She looked at him carefully, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, well. Of course. You know I'd do anything for you. And if April is important to you, she's important to me." She sighed and relaxed into him.

Anna was leaning against the wall just outside the door, and sighed as she heard what Lorelai said. Maybe Luke wasn't just fighting to get at her. Maybe it wouldn't be a completely bad thing for April to have a father – as long as it was not at the expense of her own time with her daughter.

When they got called back into the room for the judges' verdict, Anna had prepared herself. She had accepted the fact that Luke was likely to win joint custody – there was no reason for him not to, what with the references and all.

Luke on the other hand, was terrified. If things didn't go well for him today, he may never see his daughter again. It would break his heart.

When the judge began to speak, Luke tensed up. "Obviously, I have looked at all the facts of this case carefully. I have also spoken to April herself, and she speaks highly of both her parents. She has expressed a desire to spend some time with Mr Danes, and I can see no reason for me not to grant this. Mr Danes seems to be extremely capable of being a good father to April. Therefore, on the proviso that the pending paternity test comes back that Mr Danes is, in fact, the father of the minor April Nardini, I suggest that she spend every second holiday in Connecticut with Mr Danes. That is all. Thank you." She stood, and shook hands with those surrounding the table.

Anna turned to Luke. "Okay, Luke. I'm not going to fight you anymore. You can see April. We're still going to be here for two weeks, and after that," she paused, " I'll send her to you for Thanksgiving."

Luke stared at Anna in shock. "Uh... thanks, Anna. You don't need to worry about her. We will take good care of her every second she is away from you."

Anna flinched at the use of 'we', but gave him a weak smile. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the building, her quota for tolerance used up.

Lorelai was waiting for Luke in the hall. When she saw the smile on his face, she burst into a grin, and wrapped her arms around him.

"She's coming for Thanksgiving," he told her.

"Yay!" she squealed, and hugged him closer.

"Now we can concentrate on the wedding," Luke suggested.

"Yay!" she squealed again.

"Should we go home now?" he asked her.

"Yay!" she repeated.


	12. Sharing Houses and Gilbert

**Sharing Houses and Gilbert**

Five years is a long time. It's the time it takes from having a baby to getting it off to school. It's one more year than a presidential term in office. It's how long The Dick Van Dyke Show aired. It's also the name of a David Bowie song. But most importantly it is how long the chuppah had been sitting in Lorelai's yard. So when it all happened, it felt like losing a member of the family.

"What do you think?" Lorelai asked him earnestly.

"Yip," Luke answered her, squeezing her hand across the counter. "I'll start on it this weekend."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Really? Because last time, you said that you would, and it kinda never happened. You were sleeping there most nights, but the majority of your stuff staying here at the apartment. Your mail all came here. You had no fixed abode. You were like a nomad…. Hmmm…. Were you by any chance cast in the movie Nomad?"

"Lorelai, stop," Luke interrupted her. "This Saturday I am going to move all my stuff into your house. Change of address cards and everything."

She narrowed her eyes, and looked him up and down for a few seconds, before relaxing somewhat. "Okay," she conceded. "I believe you."

She reached into the display case for a donut, but he slapped her hand away. "Tongs," he told her, handing her the offending instrument. With mock severity, she selected a pink iced donut, using the tongs to place it carefully on a napkin.

"Of course you should believe me," Luke amended. "What did you think was going to happen? We'd get married, but I'd keep living here in the apartment by myself?"

She shrugged. "Pass. Next question."

"Okay. Is there really going to be enough room for all my stuff, or should I keep storing things I don't use often here?"

She considered this. "This is going to sound stupid."

He looked at her. "I'm sure it will, but go on."

"I don't want you to be able to come back here to… escape or whatever," she told him. "So, your office slash diner type stuff should stay upstairs, but I don't think you should have beds and other living-type things here."

"That makes sense. That brings me to my next question. What are we going to do about April?"

"Well… I had thought that we could turn the sewing room we added on last year into a bedroom for her. I can move my sewing machine and everything into Rory's room, cause she is going to be back at Yale in September anyway. We can have it decorated for her by the time she's here for the wedding." She paused, and a huge grin spread across her face. "I can go and get paint samples now!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "So this discussion is over then?"

She jumped up from her stool. "Yip. We'll talk later." She walked towards the door, but turned around as she reached for the handle. "You're sure that this is going to happen? Your credibility in this area isn't exactly stellar."

He sighed. "Yes. It is going to happen. Go look at paint samples."

She grinned widely, and flounced out of the diner.

Lorelai pulled out her phone as she drove home, and dialed number one in the speed-dial.

"Mom?" Rory answered.

"Hey, gorgeous. You at home?"

"Nope. I'm at Lane's. What's up?"

"Prepare yourself," Lorelai told her. "This Saturday, Luke is officially moving in with us. For real this time."

"Really? That's awesome."

"So, you need to help me choose how to decorate the sewing room for April," Lorelai demanded. "I've got some samples from the store for us to look at."

"Yes, ma'am," Rory giggled. "When you want to do it?"

"As soon as you get home. It's going to be really fun. We can sing the painting song, and everything."

Rory laughed. "Do you still remember how that went?"

Lorelai hesitated. "Vaguely." She pulled to a stop at the stop-light in the square, waiting for it to go green. "We can make up a new one, regardless." The light went green, and she pulled away from the intersection.

"Yeah that sounds good. Can we wear cover-alls, and throw paint at each other?" Rory asked.

"Naturally. What fun would it be otherwise? But choosing colors is our first order of business. It's going to be so much fun! It's actually happening!" Lorelai almost squealed into the phone.

"You sound happy, Mom," Rory told her.

"I am, sweetie. I really am." She smiled to herself as she pulled into her driveway. She looked down at the collection of paint samples she had accumulated, and grinned even more. That is until she felt a jolt.

"Oh my God!" she screamed into the phone.

"What happened?" Rory screamed back. "Mom?... Mom?" Lorelai wasn't answering, staring in shock at what she had done. Rory waved at Lane, and ran out the door towards their house.

Two minutes later, when Rory arrived home, she found Lorelai still sitting in the drivers seat, the engine idling, staring out the window. Rory gasped when she saw what had happened. Distracted by the paint samples, Lorelai had driven straight through the chuppah into the hedge. The remains of the chuppah lay in pieces around the Jeep and in the garden.

Rory opened the door, and turned off the vehicle. She guided Lorelai slowly out of the Jeep, and led her to the scene of the destruction.

"I destroyed it," Lorelai finally got out. "I'm Kevin McCloud."

Rory looked at her sideways, but shook her head, knowing it wasn't worth asking.

"Oh! Gilbert! No!" Lorelai cried. She knelt down on the ground, and cradled the decapitated goat to her chest. "I'm so sorry Gilbert."

Rory picked up another piece of carved wood and started to make a pile. Nothing seemed salvageable.

"Everything had been going so perfect," Lorelai wailed. "Luke's going to hate me now. He won't want to move in with me if I keep ruining everything he makes. I mean, I always thought that it would be fun to be in the Demolition Derby, I just didn't think that there would be such personal consequences."

"Mom," Rory consoled, rubbing her back soothingly, "Luke is not going to hate you. He loves you, and he will know that it was all just an accident. Of course you didn't mean to drive into it. He already knows that you're as accident-prone as Tim Taylor."

"But this symbolized so much in our relationship," she cried. "When I talked to Luke after he delivered the chuppah, that was when I realized that I couldn't marry Max. And it showed me how much Luke cares about me…." Lorelai sighed. "I just loved it so much – loved that he had spent so many hours making something for me."

Rory looked at her sympathetically, and the look on Lorelai's face explained everything. Yeah, she was worried that Luke would be upset about ruining the chuppah, but most importantly, she felt grief. Grief at what the chuppah represented, and the loss of something that was so special to her.

"Come on," Rory suggested. "Let's go inside. We'll clean it up later. Coffee?"

Loreali nodded slowly, and stood up. "Thanks kiddo. You just being here gets me down off the ledge."

Rory smiled at her. "Good. Because I really want to get to wear that bridesmaid dress."

The girls were sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee and browsing through the paint samples when they heard Luke's truck in the driveway. They glanced at each other worriedly, and Rory took it as her cue to make herself scarce. Lorelai sighed and walked out onto the porch. She saw Luke standing in the middle of the yard, staring at the remains of his work. He saw her emerge from the house, and walked over to her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Uh, I was distracted, and drove into the garden," she admitted. "It was an accident. I know how upset you must be…" she trailed off, as tears filled her eyes.

Luke saw how upset she was. "It's okay. Don't worry. It was an accident." He swept her up into a strong hug, and wiped away her tears.

Lorelai peeked up at him. "You're not mad?" she asked in a small voice.

"No. Of course not," he laughed. "Why would you think that? Were you scared of me?"

She hesitated, but gave a small nod. "You spent so long working on it for me."

He held her at arms length and looked directly into her face. "For you and Max. I don't see it as belonging to me at all. Yeah I'm sad to see it go, but I'm not mad about it."

She nodded at him.

"So…" Luke continued. "How is the decorating committee going?"

"We're doing great, actually," she told him, as he led her inside, holding her hand firmly. "We have our applications for 'Design Star' ready to go. I think we're going to go with blue and green. I found some colors that just… look like April."

They reached the kitchen, and she pointed out her choices. Luke smiled and nodded at them. "Yeah, they do look like her."

He sat down, and pulled Lorelai into his lap. "Are you a bit better now?"

"Yeah." She reached to pick up something from the counter. It was Gilbert, with his head glued back onto his body. "I thought we'd keep this bit."

Luke smirked. "Good idea. He should get pride of place in the living room."

Rory emerged from her bedroom a few minutes later to find her mother sitting on Luke's lap still, their arms around each other. They were just sitting silently – something that rarely happened around here – but they looked so happy. She saw the wooden goat sitting on the table next to them, and smiled.


	13. Day off

**Day off**

Lorelai wearily looked up from the guest list she had been writing. "I move that we have a whole weekend that is just about us. No work, no wedding stuff, no respective kids, no extended family, no annoying townsfolk..."

Luke lifted his head up from the kitchen table. "I second that motion," he replied, barely getting the words out.

"Then it is carried." She banged her fist on the table like a gavel, wincing at the ensuing pain. "Nothing but relaxing, and watching movies, and relaxing, and sex, and relaxing, and eating, and relaxing..."

"And more sex?" he asked, suddenly interested. When she nodded, a gleam in her eye, he added, "So glad I seconded..." He looked confused for a moment. "Hang on. Seconded. Seconded. Is that a word?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "I think so. Wait a sec." She picked up the cordless phone, and dialled a number. "Hey Sweets... yeah, we wanted to know – is seconded a word? ... yip...thanks... Oh hon? You're being banished from the house for the weekend... Yeah of course...Sure... Love you...Bye, loinfruit." She hung up the phone, and turned to Luke. "Number one. Yes, seconded apparently is a word. And B, Rory is going to stay at Lane's for the weekend, so we have the place to ourselves."

He smiled at her before returning his head to its' previous location on the table. "I'll need to get my energy back before then, I suppose," he mumbled through his arm, which was covering his face.

"Would never be a problem if you started drinking coffee like I asked," she grinned at him.

"Not going to happen. Don't care how slutty a dress you wear."

"Hmmm.. was worth a shot. But concentrate! Guest list! We are getting married in 45 days, mister. We need to get invitations out." She stared again at the piece of paper in front of her. "We've already got over 50 people here. Who else do we have to invite?"

He raised his head, looked at the paper, and replaced it again. "Nobody," he sighed. "If we haven't thought of them by now, they can't be that important."

"'Kay," she agreed, getting up and retrieving two beers from the fridge. She opened one, and waved it under Luke's nose until he sat up. His eyes were still closed, but he was sniffing the air like a dog.

"I smell barley, and hops." He opened his eyes and grinned when he saw the alcohol sitting in front of him.

"Good to know your sense of smell hasn't been affected by the stress," Lorelai commented.

He looked at her with a gleam in his eye. Suddenly energized, he leapt up and swept her into his arms. "Neither has my libido," he whispered into her ear.

"Thought you were too tired," she pointed out.

"Never, and this gets your mind off the guest list, doesn't it?"

Lorelai reached out and swiped the two bottles off the kitchen table as he carried her away.

Lorelai sat at the table by the window, making yet another never-ending list. It was 4:55, and in five minutes, Lane would be in to start her shift, and Luke would be free – their weekend of doing nothing could commence. But until then, she was intent on getting down on paper the to-do list that had been floating around in her head.

The bell above the door jingled, and Kirk waltzed in. He made a bee-line for the 'prime position' stool at the counter which he usually fought Lorelai for, due to it's vicinity to the register and the kitchen, but when he saw Lorelai sitting at a table, he changed his course, and sat down next to her without asking.

Lorelai looked up in surprise. "Uh... sure, Kirk. Take a seat. No, it's no problem. Of course I don't mind sharing." She started an imaginary conversation with herself.

Kirk looked around, trying to see who she was talking to. She put a hand on his arm to calm him. "Sorry Kirk. What can I help you with?"

"Lorelai... uh... Miss Gilmore... I have a proposition for you," Kirk began.

"Kirk," Lorelai gasped. "It is entirely inappropriate for you to be proposing to me when I am already engaged. While I am flattered, my poor womanly heart belongs to one man only, and I would fear for my safety were I to betray him."

Kirk went red, and became flustered. "That's not what I meant..."

Lorelai laughed. "I'm kidding Kirk. You know... joke?"

Kirk let out a sigh of relief, but still glanced around to see if Luke had heard them. "I would like to offer my services to you." Lorelai raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh... I mean... my professional services." Lorelai snorted slightly as the thought. "Uh... for your wedding... I have ways to help you."

Lorelai smiled at him, it not seeming necessary to fluster him even further. "How can you help us, Kirk?"

"Well. I have several services that I can offer. As you know, I am an excellent wedding DJ, I have much experience with photography, I dabble in a bit of film-making if you would like a wedding video, I can supply a bartending service..." He leaned a little closer. "I am also very open to being the best man. I have my own tux ready, just in case."

She leaned towards him also. "I think we're good in that respect, but thanks for the offer."

"So," Kirk said loudly. "What would you like me to be in charge of?"

Just then, Lane burst into the diner. Luke threw down his cloth onto the counter, and marched towards Lorelai. He grabbed her hand, and started pulling her towards the door.

"Say goodbye, Kirk," he instructed.

"Goodbye, Kirk," Kirk called.

Luke frowned, before Lorelai called back "Goodbye Kirk. I will get back to you next week."

As soon as they were out of sight of the diner, Luke slowed down from a gallop to a reasonable human-like stroll. Lorelai thread her arm around his as they made their way home.

"So, did you see the kafuffle going on outside this afternoon?" she asked him.

"I saw Taylor and some sort of construction guy talking, so I really don't see anything good happening. I forced myself to stay in the kitchen and not run out there to beat the crap out of him."

"Well done!" she gushed. She lowered her voice. "Well, I got the skinny, the low down, the 411. I'm down with the homies, if fact. Turns out Taylor is extremely concerned about our safety, and it is of specific worry that so many people have been running the red light."

"Of course we run it – it stays red for like three hours!" Luke exploded, on the verge of a rant until Lorelai squeezed his arm.

"Yeah, I've gotten three tickets already this month. So Taylor has taken it upon himself to install a red light camera. So anyone who goes through the red light will get their picture taken, and a nice little ticket in the mail. They're having some sort of opening ceremony tomorrow."

Luke groaned, determined to keep his temper under control on this, their perfect weekend alone. "This town. Seriously – butterfly nets. Really big ones."

By now they had reached the house, and Lorelai was concentrating on getting her key in the lock. "Can I have a pretty pink one?" she asked distractedly.

"Sure. Now what are we going to do with all our down-time?" he asked as they stepped into the foyer.

She had a gleam in her eye as she tugged at the tail of his flannel shirt.

"Can do," he grinned, and picked her up fireman style and carried her up the stairs.

It was Saturday afternoon, and after lazing in bed until almost 11, Lorelai had finally allowed Luke to get up, on the proviso that he make blueberry pancakes. They had then sat eating their brunch in front of the TV. They had already watched Ned Kelly, for Luke, and had moved on to Sixteen Candles, obviously for Lorelai.

"It's so weird watching this movie," Lorelai mused as the end credits rolled. "I mean, when I first saw this, I was four months pregnant, and I'm pretty sure it is the last time that Chris took me to the movies." She looked sad, remembering. "After that, he cut his visits down to only the most perfunctory occasions."

Luke wrapped his arms around her. "It won't be like that next time."

"Next time Christopher knocks me up?" she giggled.

He got all flustered. "No. ... you know what I mean."

She laughed that gorgeous laugh which always made him feel warm inside – like he'd swallowed a whole lot of hot treacle.

"Tell me other stuff from back then," he requested, tracing patterns on her sweatpant covered legs.

"Hmm, let me see," she thought. "Well, before we had our beautiful little accident, we had plans to go backpacking around Europe the day after graduation..."

"Ahh..." Luke nodded. "Hence the backpacking with Rory after SHE graduated."

"Exactly. Chris wanted to sleep on a bench in Paris, but as we all know, I'm much more high-maintenance than that." Luke nodded his confirmation enthusiastically, and she punched him playfully on the arm. "So I insisted on a hotel. He could still sleep on a bench if he wanted to."

"Back then, what did you want to be when you grew up?" he asked her.

"Uh... well in our world, girls didn't have careers, so it wasn't really discussed. Mainly, I either wanted to be a groupie, or become the sixth member of The Go-Gos."

"So, music then. Too bad you can't sing to save yourself," he laughed.

"Hey!" she threw a pillow at him, which he immediately threw back at her.

As Lorelai burst out laughing, the phone started to ring. She started to move towards it, but Luke stopped her. "Remember... no distractions." He gripped her tight, and started kissing her jawline to distract her from the ringing.

The answerphone picked up, and they heard Caesar's voice fill the room. "Uh... Luke? Um... I know you said not to call you this weekend, but I really think you need to come down here. Uh... I'm sorry. Not that I did anything wrong, but you're really not going to like what Kirk did. It's pretty bad. Like super bad. But I swear it's not my fault. He has been watching way too much Evel Knieval footage. Okay. I better see you soon, because I don't know what to do."

They stared at each other, wondering what the hell was wrong at the diner, and how Kirk and Evel Knieval had anything to do with it.


	14. The Diner Man and The Diner Man

**The Diner Man and the Diner Man**

They stood in silence, staring at the gaping hole in the side of the diner, and the virtually unscratched T-Bird parked where tables, chairs and customers would normally be. Lorelai squeezed Luke's hand reassuringly. They were oblivious to anything going on around them – cars whooshing past mere inches from where they stood; townsfolk staring at the demolition scene; Taylor yelling about his prized possession – nothing mattered.

"So much for our perfect relaxing weekend," Luke muttered.

They continued to stand still for several minutes.

Eventually, Lorelai took matters into her own hands, and led Luke into the diner, stepping up through what used to be a wall. All that remained now, was a hole. Luke began to pick debris up and stare at each piece slowly.

"Well the car is fine," Gypsy called as she slid out from under the car. "Definitely wasn't faulty brakes that caused the accident. Kirk is just an idiot."

"So I can take it away?" Taylor enquired.

"Sure. Nothing a paint job won't fix."

Luke fingered the T-Bird, amazed that his diner was partly demolished, but Taylor's stupid car? Barely a scratch. Sometimes the world just didn't make sense.

Taylor and Gypsy had wandered away, arguing about the best way to remove the car from it's position in the building, when Luke heard singing.

"_If you smile through your pain and sorrow_

_Smile and maybe tomorrow_

_You'll see the sun come shining through for you."_

Confused, Luke looked around for the source. It wasn't great singing, but it was singing nonetheless. Eventually he realized that it was coming from Lorelai, who was crouched down on the other side of the car, sweeping up shards of glass.

He stood quietly, listening to her sing.

"_Light up your face with gladness_

_Hide every trace of sadness_

_Although a tear may be ever so near_

_That's the time you must keep on trying_

_Smile, what's the use of crying_

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile_

_If you just smile."_

By the time she had finished, Luke found that he actually had taken the advice of the song, and was inadvertently smiling. His initial reaction to any event like this was one of anger. He was liable to lash out at anyone who came near. But, he could trust Lorelai to keep in good spirits in the lowest of times. He realized then that if she hadn't been here, this would have seemed like a world-ending accident. But having her here seemed to calm him, and he was exceptionally grateful.

He strode over to where she was crouched, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her up to him.

"I love you," he said firmly, looking straight into her eyes.

She looked confused. "Uh... I love you too, but where did this come from?"

He smiled. "Just... thank you. For always being here for me... for making me smile."

Her faced tinged scarlet. "Dammit. You heard me. I didn't think it was out loud. Just... I used to sing that song to Rory when crappy things happened to us. Mainly when Christopher didn't show up for her birthday again; or I couldn't afford to send her on some excursion with all her friends... that type of thing. I'm sorry. My voice is terrible."

"Don't care," he mumbled into her ear. He wrapped his arms around her as they stood there, looking at the damage, stuck in a reverie until the tow truck driver walked through the door, sending the bells jangling.

"Hey Luke," Ben called. "Taylor said I should wait for the insurance people to get here before I take this thing away, but it's on your property, so it's up to you."

Luke looked around for a second. He shook his head. "Take it. It should be obvious to whatever dim-witted insurance guy they send down that it's a legitimate claim. And we got, like, a hundred witnesses, and probably some photos of it happening on that stupid camera. So take it."

Lorelai rubbed Luke's back as they watched Ben walk out to his truck. "Well done, babe. You're being so calm – I'm in awe." He smiled at her. "Now, go call your insurance company, and I'll keep cleaning up."

Sighing, Luke started to walk towards the phone. Halfway, he stopped and turned. "Hey Lorelai?"

She looked up from her sweeping. "Yeah, hon?"

"Can you run home? In the garage is a big blue tarp. I'll need that to cover this hole overnight. Oh, and bring my toolbox."

"Sure thing, boss," she answered, saluting at him. "I am at your service."

He raised his eyebrows at her, and she just giggled as she jumped out through the hole and set off for home.

They slept in the next morning. For the first time for as long as they could remember, Luke slept past nine, making it obvious just how much the previous day had taken it out of him. They had been in the diner cleaning up until late, and Luke was going to meet TJ at noon to start rebuilding the wall.

Slightly before twelve, they started to wander towards the square. Half way down the block, they passed Babette, who was returning to her house. They exchanged pleasantries, Babette expressed to them how angry everyone was with Taylor, and they were on their way. It wasn't until about 30 seconds later, that Luke stopped in his tracks.

"What?" Lorelai exclaimed, when suddenly her hand that was attached to Luke's was tugged backwards. "Your brake lights must be out, 'cause I so didn't see that coming."

Luke looked at her strangely. "Did you see what Babette was holding?" he asked her.

Her eyes darted up and to the left, as they habitually did when she was trying really hard to think of something. She furrowed her brow. "All I saw was a cup of coffee," she replied eventually.

"Yes," Luke explained. "A cup of coffee that looked like it came from Luke's."

She was confused. "But Luke's is closed. There's so much rubble, it'd give The Flintstones a run for their money."

He nodded. "My point exactly."

They continued to walk towards town, individually trying to work out how the diner was managing to run itself.

"Maybe it was fairies," Lorelai suggested just before the square came into view.

"Kirk," Luke said in a low grumble.

"Kirk is a fairy? Hmmm... I always did wonder about him," she commented.

"No." Luke pointed towards the edge of the square closest to the diner. "Kirk."

It was then that she saw it. Kirk was in the middle of an outdoor replica of Luke's. Down to the flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap he sported, the details were all the same. They walked closer, and saw more details – a cash register that looked just like Luke's one, except this one seemed to be made out of cardboard boxes. Sitting on a stool next to the register, in the seat where Lorelai normally sat, was Lulu. Instead of wearing a normal Lulu outfit – sundress, cardigan, flowers – she was wearing skin-tight jeans, and a tight t-shirt with The Bangles on it. She was leaning over the counter seductively, whispering jokes to Kirk.

"Okay. This is too weird," Lorelai commented, gripping to Luke tighter as if he could make it all go away.

"Kirk!" Luke thundered.

"Good morning Luke," Kirk greeted him pleasantly. "What can I get for you?" He gestured towards an empty table.

"Some answers would be good," Luke commanded. "What the hell is this?"

Kirk handed them a menu, even though they were still standing. "It's a diner Luke. I would think you of all people would know that."

"A diner called Kirk's?"

"It's the name my mother gave me. I considered calling it Rick's, or Buck's, or maybe Ronaldo's, but since Kirk was already my name, it worked out quite well." He poured coffee for another patron as he spoke.

"But why?" Luke asked him flabbergasted.

"I just saw a need and I filled it – I'm quite the entrepreneur, you know."

Luke looked at the menu in his hand. "French toast, Pancakes, Buttermilk Pancakes – you've stolen my menu, Kirk." He looked a little closer. "You have stolen my menu! You've just glued the name Kirk's over top of the Luke's logo!"

"I resent that!" Kirk objected, but became quiet when Luke ripped off the Kirk's logo to reveal Luke's original menu. "Okay, so I stole your menus, but anyway, I heard Luke's had gone out of business."

Luke stared at him. "Luke's did not go out of business. It is closed for repairs. You want to know why it's closed for repairs? Because some nincompoop drove a car through the window yesterday!"

Lorelai interrupted, pulling Luke away from the 'diner'. "Come on, before the Druidians start to fire back. Who knows who King Vespa will take as a hostage." She directed Luke over to his own diner, and once he was on his way, ran back to Kirk.

"Hey hotstuff!" she called, receiving a dirty look from Lulu. "Sorry, I got confused – habit." She turned back to Kirk. "Please, please, please Kirk. I need coffee. Please?"

He handed her cup. "Junkie," he said in a gruff voice, imitating Luke.

She giggled as she turned away with the sweet black nectar. "Angel," she called back over her shoulder, and walked over to where Luke and TJ were preparing their tools and supplies for the wall.

TJ was in the middle of telling Luke how great a stained glass window would be when she interrupted them. "Hi boys!"

Luke gave her a thankful look, until he saw the coffee in her hand. He shook his head. "Traitor," he scowled.

"You wouldn't want me to die from caffeine withdrawal, would you," she asked him sweetly.

"You just had a cup 20 minutes ago at home," he reminded her.

She looked at him blankly. "And...?"

"Junkie," he muttered under his breath.

She giggled as she settled herself on a chair they had rescued from the diner, and prepared to watch the men work.

Around five, Lorelai returned to the construction site with a bag from Stars Hollow Video, and a bag from Doose's filled with what could only be junk food.

"You finished yet?" she whined.

Luke looked up and wiped the sweat off his brow with the hem of his t-shirt, which was also stained in sweat, and clung to his body. "You didn't have to stay here all day, you know," he reminded her.

"Yes I did," she corrected, wagging her finger at him. "This was our weekend together, and we are going to spend it together, regardless of any disasters. I just thought you might be ready to call it a day, after working so very, very hard." She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Anyway, thinking about Mel Brooks earlier made me realize it's been ages since I've watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights. So I thought we could watch that tonight."

"Men in what?" Luke asked.

Lorelai feigned shock. "Robin Hood: Men in Tights is only the funniest movie to ever be made featuring men in pantyhose. There is no way you cannot be happy after watching it. If you don't agree, I'll just have to sing the song for you, and recite all my favorite lines."

"Fine. I'll be done here in ten minutes."

Lorelai smiled in satisfaction. "Thank you. In return, I will favor you with some gossip – Kirk's has gone out of business."

Luke chuckled. "Who did he poison?"

"Nobody. The customers kept leaving because they were getting sunburnt and heat stroke. Taylor shut him down after he found out he didn't have insurance."

Once the movie was finished, Lorelai turned to Luke. "So what did you think? Made you forget about the disaster zone?"

Luke chuckled. "I think I can safely say that is the most ridiculous movie I've ever seen."

"You've obviously never seen Braindead then. Braindead, one word. Not to be confused with Brain Dead, two words" she stated. She snuggled into him, and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"No I don't believe I have had the pleasure," he replied.

"Now that was one disgusting, silly movie. But the guy who directed The Lord of the Rings and King Kong did it, so we thought it would be good – man were we wrong."

"Well done," Luke told her, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "You did manage to get my mind off the vast abyss that is my place of business. Thank you."

"You're welcome. So are you saying you liked Men in Tights?"

"I didn't say that," he corrected her. "I do, however, know something else that would take my mind off things." He grabbed her hand and started to pull her towards the stairs.

"Well how can I say no to a man who is so distraught?" she wondered out loud.

"Oh yes. Woe is me," he deadpanned. "Come on."

She giggled and followed him up the stairs.


	15. A phobia of icy extremities

**A phobia of icy extremities**

_Lorelai awoke to find the sun streaming through the window. She threw her arm out as she rolled over, and was confused to find the other side of the bed empty. Where was Luke? Then, she remembered. He was at the apartment with Jess. She smiled at the thought – this was her wedding day. It was finally here, the day that everybody in Stars Hollow, especially her, had been waiting for for years. She could hear Rory moving around downstairs, most likely getting the coffee maker started. She jumped out of bed – no dragging necessary today – and wandered down to the kitchen to see her daughter fingering a mug, waiting impatiently for the coffee jug to fill. _

_"What time is Sookie getting here? I'm starving," came Rory's sleepy voice._

_Lorelai looked at the clock. "She should be here any minute."_

_Just then, she heard the door open, and Sookie's voice calling out to them. "Lorelai, honey, there's a note here for you."_

_Confused, but slightly excited at the prospect of a mystery letter, Lorelai bounded out onto the porch, regardless of her lack of caffeine. _

_She saw the envelope taped to the door with her name on it in Luke's familiar scrawl. She smiled as she tried to guess what he had written to her – definitely some sort of love letter._

_She pulled the envelope from it's place, and ripped it open._

_"Lemme see!" Rory cried, trying to get a closer look. Sookie was bouncing around more than usual trying to pry the paper out of Lorelai's hand._

_Lorelai grinned, and hugged it to her chest. "It's all mine!" She jumped several feet away from them and started to read._

_Sookie and Rory watched as her face went from one of pull unadulterated joy, to a slight frown, until she crumpled onto the ground, crying._

_"How could he do this?" she cried, throwing the letter away from her like it was a vegetable._

_Panic came across the girls faces as they ran to her. _

_"What did he say?" Rory asked as Sookie picked up the letter, leaving Rory to rock a sobbing Lorelai._

_"Dear Lorelai," Sookie read. "Please know that I love you with all my heart, and that I am so sorry. I can't do this. I can't marry you – it's just too much. Please don't hate me. Love, Luke."_

_Stunned silence hung in the air, only interrupted by the sound of Lorelai's sobs._

_"What? Is this some sort of Bachelor party prank?" Rory squeaked out._

_Sookie just shrugged and lowered herself down to join the girls hugging on the ground. "Shhh…. It'll be okay, chicken," she whispered._

_"No, Luke. Please don't leave me!" Lorelai wailed into Rory's shoulder._

"Please don't leave me…" Lorelai mumbled.

Concerned, Luke shook her awake. "Lorelai?" He looked into her slowly awakening face. "Are you okay?" He saw the tears on her cheek. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai opened her eyes and saw him cradling her to his chest. She wiped her eyes. "Nothing," she sniffled. " Just a bad dream."

"I heard my name, so you had better tell me what made you so upset."

"It was nothing. I swear."

"I don't believe you," he told her, and pushed her away slightly so that he could see her face properly.

She had to think fast. "Uh... well... we were in the diner, and I wanted coffee..."

"Naturally," he chuckled.

"And you took the coffee-pot and wouldn't let me have it. Every time I tried to get you to give it to me, you'd walk away. That's it. I think I'm just in withdrawal."

"Withdrawal? You had a cup just before we went to bed."

"Yeah, well, you know me." She tried to brush it off.

"Yeah, I do." He kissed her forehead and settled back towards sleep, hugging her closer.

Lorelai lay awake, watching as Luke drifted off to sleep. As she looked as his face, a terrifying thought wouldn't leave her mind – what if her dream was more than a dream? What if it was some sort of premonition? She tried to brush it off, telling herself that things were better between them now, and there was no way that he would run away from their wedding. But a little voice in the back 

of her mind kept nagging her, telling her that it could happen. He'd postponed it once, what was to stop him from postponing it again?

She moved her eyes to look at the clock. 5:45. Only another hour or so until Luke would wake up again. Another hour where it was just going to be her and her thoughts.

Rory walked into the kitchen to find Lorelai hugging a mug of coffee. She wrinkled her brow, confused.

"What you doing up?" Rory mumbled sleepily.

Lorelai moved her gaze to her drink. "Couldn't sleep," she explained.

"'kay."

"Uh... I know he hasn't been around here for a while, but... do you think that Freud would be available for a session?"

Rory sat down with some coffee. "So you had a dream, then?" She smiled at her mother. "The doctor is in. Was it the cream puff one again?"

Lorelai shook her head. "It was bad." She explained what had happened as quickly as she could, her eyes still down.

"Mom, that doesn't mean anything. If anything, I'd say you were nervous about the wedding. Well, not about the getting married part, but more about everything going according to plan. Luke is not going anywhere. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Mom, he loves you. He wouldn't leave you, especially not on your wedding day. There are no cold feet going on there. His feet are toasty warm."

"Just, if something happened, and he did run away, I don't think I could handle it. After all, if you don't have love, what's the point of it all?"

Rory laughed. "Are you going all Tuesdays with Morrie on me here?"

"Well, Morrie had some really good points."

"Which aren't relevant here. Lorelai Gilmore, you cannot spend the next five weeks worried that he is going to get cold feet. You need to enjoy the process of getting married. Do you hear me, young lady?"

Lorelai continued to stare at her coffee, turning the cup round and round as she thought. "It just really freaked me out, you know?" she said quietly.

Rory moved around the table to hug her mother. "Yeah, I know."

As Lorelai walked into the kitchen of the inn, she heard a crash.

"Sookie? Are you okay?"

A muffled voice let out "Argh! I think so."

"Where are you?"

"Over here... I think... yes definitely here."

Lorelai started to search for her friend. "Marco?"

"Polo?" came from behind her.

"Marco?"

"Polo!" That was definitely from the pantry, but where?

"Marco?"

"Polo!" Lorelai found Sookie, under the bottom shelf of the pantry.

"Polo's stuck," Sookie told her.

"Oh, poor Polo," Lorelai sympathized. She helped pull Sookie out from behind a bag of flour. "Do we know how this happened?"

Sookie started gesturing wildly. "See I ... and then I ... and then the falling... and then... whoops!"

"I think whoops is right, honey. Now come sit with me. Be vertical for a while."

Sookie poked her lower lip out. "Yeah vertical is good. I missed it there for a while."

Lorelai led Sookie out to the library and sat down. "Now tell me what's going on with you, hon."

Sookie thought for a moment. "Uh, Martha cut a new tooth... Davey's starting preschool in the fall, so I took him to meet the teacher on Thursday... I'm thinking of re-painting the guest room..." She stopped when she realized that Lorelai was on another planet. "Sugar? What's wrong?"

Lorelai looked at her friend. "Do you think Luke's going to get cold feet?" She looked miserable.

Sookie almost laughed. "No, sweetie, I can't think of anyone who is more ready to get married than Luke. He's probably more ready than you are – and that's saying something."

Lorelai thought about what Sookie had said, and what Rory had said earlier, and played with some chipped nailpolish on her fingernails. "But what if Anna gets in the way? She was a big problem before. What if she convinces Luke to call off the wedding again?"

Sookie rubbed Lorelai's arm. "Honey, there is a water-tight custody agreement now. Anna can't do a thing. Luke doesn't even have to talk to Anna if he doesn't want to. Why are you thinking like this?"

"I don't know. I had a dream he called it off at the last minute. It's weirded me out. It just seems so déjà vu-y."

Sookie sighed. "Maybe you should tell Luke how you feel. After all, communication isn't exactly your strong point. It should help you to feel a little calmer."

Lorelai smiled faintly. "Yeah, you're right. I'll talk to him. Otherwise I'm going to worry myself sick."

"Good. Now, I have made this chocolate sauce, which needs taste-testing."

"Ooo ooo ooo! Me! I'm a great taste-tester of chocolate products! Just call me Willy Wonka."

Lorelai looked at the ceiling and smiled. She had told Luke about her fears, irrational as they may have been. He had reassured her repeatedly that she had nothing to worry about, and that he wasn't going anywhere – anytime. He had been so great, and said all the right things. She felt calm now, and secure in their relationship. She watched as he emerged from the bathroom, and slipped into bed beside her.

He ran his fingers across her cheek. "Are you okay now?" he asked tenderly.

"Better," she assured him, and it felt nice to actually feel as confident as she was making out.

It only took a few minutes for her to fall asleep to the feeling of Luke stroking her hair.

_Lorelai awoke to find the sun streaming through the window. She threw her arm out as she rolled over, and was confused to find the other side of the bed empty. Where was Luke? Then, she remembered. He was at the apartment with Jess. She smiled at the thought – this was her wedding day. It was finally here, the day that everybody in Stars Hollow, especially her, had been waiting for for years. She could hear Rory moving around downstairs, most likely getting the coffee maker started. She jumped out of bed – no dragging necessary today – and wandered down to the kitchen to see her daughter fingering a mug, waiting impatiently for the coffee jug to fill. _

_"What time is Sookie getting here? I'm starving," came Rory's sleepy voice._

_Lorelai looked at the clock. "She should be here any minute."_

_Just then, she heard the door open, and Sookie's voice calling out to them. "Lorelai, honey, there's a note here for you."_

_Confused, but slightly excited at the prospect of a mystery letter, Lorelai bounded out onto the porch, regardless of her lack of caffeine. _

_She saw the envelope taped to the door with her name on it in Luke's familiar scrawl. She smiled as she tried to guess what he had written to her – definitely some sort of love letter._

_She pulled the envelope from it's place, and ripped it open._

_"Lemme see!" Rory cried, trying to get a closer look. Sookie was bouncing around more than usual trying to pry the paper out of Lorelai's hand._

_Lorelai grinned, and hugged it to her chest. "It's all mine!" She jumped several feet away from them and started to read._

"_Dear Lorelai," she read out loud. "It is finally here. Today, I get to marry my best friend, and the one person in the world I love more than anything. Know that I adore you, and I am counting down the minutes until you become my wife. I will see you this afternoon – I'll be the one in the tux at the end of the aisle. With all my heart, Luke."_

Lorelai slept that night with a huge grin on her face.


	16. And the band began to play

**And the band began to play**

"Mom?" Rory called as she climbed into bed with Lorelai. She had heard Luke leave for the diner a few minutes earlier.

Lorelai rolled over to face her daughter. "Mmph?"

"I was thinking..." Rory began.

"What have I told you about thinking, Rory? Don't do it. It hurts our pretty little heads."

"Okay... how about... I want to run something by you."

"Better."

"Well, what is happening in twelve days?"

Lorelai smiled, but didn't open her eyes. "I'm getting married."

"Correct. And you didn't get an engagement party, so I thought we should throw the awesome-est bachelorette party known to man."

"Awesome-est? Wow, that Yale education is really paying off."

Rory shoved her shoulder in jest. "You know what I mean."

"A party would be nice." She thought for a second. "But, what about Luke? Who is going to throw him the awesome-est bachelor party known to man?"

Rory considered this for a second. "How would you feel about having an conjoint party? The same people would probably want to come..."

Lorelai rolled over onto her back, and stared at the ceiling. "Yeah..." she ventured. "That might be nice. I mean, it's not like either of us is the typical bachelor-slash-bachelorette. Convincing Luke might be a problem, though." She sighed.

"Cool," Rory told her. "So, that can be your job - convincing Luke that this is a good idea. You've got five days. I'll handle everything else."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, unconvinced. "You will plan a huge party by yourself in five days?"

"It's all under control. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. You, missy, have to concentrate on the final details for the wedding."

"Deal."

"Honey, please. Rory is so excited about doing this for us."

"I don't want a bachelor party. I've been married before. I'm not exactly a bachelor."

"And I thought we agreed that we were going to ignore that little fact, and never speak of that mistake again. For all intents and purposes, I am your first and only wife." Lorelai's voice had gone tense at the mention of Nicole.

Luke started kissing all over her face. "I'm sorry. Yes, I am completely endowed with bachelor status. Nicole who? Never heard of her. Please don't be mad."

Lorelai relaxed her jaw. "I'll forgive you if you agree to the party - and at least pretend to enjoy it."

"Fine," he sighed. "But no strippers. Of either gender. And none of that stupid stuff - no daring me to steal someone's underwear, nobody is tying me naked to a lamppost, no dirty hybrids of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey games, no condoms used as balloons, no pole dancing, Patty is not ripping any item of my clothing off, and no Founders Day Punch."

"I don't think that you can ban Founders Day Punch. Founders Day Punch is an entity unto itself. It just happens. Kind of like the weather. Or Paris Hilton."

"Fine. But I'm not drinking it."

Lorelai giggled. "Okay, baby." They lay in contended silence for a minute, before a thought popped into Lorelai's head. "Hey, when have you been to a party like that? Do you have a double life or something where you plan and execute raunchy bachelor parties?"

Luke laughed. "Oh sorry. I've been meaning to tell you..."

She slapped his arm. "Evil, dirty man."

Luke sighed as he pulled his dress pants on. "I don't wanna wear a shirt," he whined.

Lorelai giggled. "And as much as I would prefer that you weren't wearing a shirt, I do believe that you were the one who specified that there be no strippers. I'm the only one who gets to see that gorgeous body tonight, babe. If Miss Patty saw it... wow! I can just imagine the stampede."

Luke rolled his eyes. "You keep Patty as far away from me as humanly possible, thanks very much. Or there's every likelihood that you won't have anyone to marry next week."

Lorelai looked thoughtful as she fastened her earrings. "I'm sure I could find someone to fill in at the last minute."

As he finished buttoning up his shirt, he sat on the bed and watched her finish her hair. "What has Rory planned for tonight? It's not going to be too big, is it?"

Lorelai swung around quickly to look at him. "We're Gilmores. Every party is a big deal, and this - this is one of the biggest. It is going to be huge. It's my bachelorette party, my last hurrah. I'm going out with a bang!"

Luke raised his eyebrows at her. "Because your last one was such a success."

"Well, this time, you'll be there to stop me calling ex-boyfriends, won't you?"

"You do, and I won't be here when you get home."

Lorelai smoothed down her dress. "Alright, I'm done. Ready to go party like it's 1999?"

"Yeah, sure," he grumbled, taking her outstretched hand.

They walked in comfortable silence until they were almost at the square, and could hear music playing.

"Ooo ooo ooo!" Lorelai was almost bouncing with excitement. "Are you ready? Your last night out on the town as a single man?"

Luke tried to play along. "Yeah. Gonna see if I can pick up a little hottie - maybe a blond."

"Just make sure to put a tie on the doorknob or something, okay honey?"

"Sure," he kissed her chastely. "I'll try not to take too long so you can have your bed back. Just keep yourself amused in the meantime - maybe play some Monopoly."

They came into view of Miss Patty's dance studio, and saw Kirk silhouetted in the doorway. "They're here!" he yelled at those assembled in the hall.

"Oh, jeez," Luke muttered. "They're not going to jump out and yell 'surprise', are they."

"I very much doubt that, but you never know with this town."

The music went quiet as they approached, and as they entered, the sound system was replaced with the sounds of Hep Alien playing. Lorelai smiled at Lane, wondering how long it would be before she was too pregnant to play the drums. Right now, you could just see a small bump.

Luke squeezed her hand, and they looked around at almost the whole town assembled in the tight space. It was amazing what Rory had done with such short notice. Pink, white and blue streamers hung from the ceiling. What seemed like a thousand helium balloons were tied in bunches to carefully decorated rocks and placed strategically around the room. Hundreds of fairy lights lined the walls. A huge banner across the stage congratulated the happy couple. Folding chairs around the walls were draped with perfectly fitting white chair covers. There was food galore, obviously supplied by Sookie by the way that she observed the table, and every so often 'suggested' a different combination of flavors.

Suddenly, a bouncing Rory appeared before them, squealing with excitement. "Happy bachelor slash bachelorette night!" she giggled at them.

"Honey, this is gorgeous. I can't believe you did all this." Lorelai pulled on Rory's arm in excitement.

"Well, I had a LOT of help. Everyone wanted to be involved. The two of you seem to be rather popular round these parts."

Lorelai smiled at Luke, and then heard the band start to play 'We got the beat'.

"They know this song?" she squealed at Rory.

"I suggested they learn it pretty quickly," Rory giggled, and dragged her mother towards the dancefloor. Lorelai glanced apologetically towards Luke, but he waved her off, and went to get a beer. He was quickly trailed by Kirk, who had left Lulu to dance with the girls. Luke stopped suddenly, and whipped around, causing Kirk to crash into him.

"What do you want, Kirk?" he grumbled.

"Luke," Kirk whined. "It's your bachelor party. You should be with all the guys."

The way he said 'the guys' made it sound like the last place Luke ever wanted to be. "The guys?" Luke asked him with a hint of mocking.

"Yes," Kirk told him patiently. "All us men..." Kirk seemed very proud of being called a man. "... are congregating on that side of the room. We plan to spend most of the night leering at the women."

Luke gave him a look.

"It's what you do at these things," Kirk pointed out.

"Fine," Luke sighed as he picked up a bottle of beer from the cooler and followed Kirk to the wall lined with men - well, Jackson, Andrew, TJ, Caesar and Morey, anyway. He leant against the wall and sipped his beer. Kirk seemed to be getting a bit too excited about the concept of 'leering', as he keep scratching himself, burping, and yelling at the girls to 'take their tops off'.

After a few upbeat songs, the music turned towards Hep Alien's more traditional genre. Lorelai wandered over to get a drink, and Luke left his spot on the wall to join her. He had just greeted her when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"Hey Lor."

Luke turned and followed Lorelai's gaze to see Christopher directly behind him, holding Gigi's hand.

"Chris," Lorelai gasped.

"Rory invited me. I hope it's okay with both of you that I'm here," he said nervously.

Lorelai looked at Luke for confirmation that, in fact, he was fine with her ex being there. Luke nodded, and she fumbled for his hand, squeezing it comfortingly. She knew that he would need help to keep his temper under control.

Chris breathed deeply. "I just wanted to offer my congratulations in person," he explained.

Luke moved himself surreptitiously behind Lorelai and wrapped his arms around her waist territorially.

"Thank you, Chris," Lorelai murmured.

"I'm sorry about what happened at your parents wedding, Lor. I really can see how good you are together - much better than we ever could be." It was obvious just how painful it was for him to admit it - that it effect, he had lost.

Gigi pulled impatiently on Chris' arm. "Daddy, can I go play with Rory?"

He released her hand. "Sure, sweetie." Gigi ran off at a sprint.

Christopher looked at Luke. "Look after her - both of them. Please. I mean, I know you always have... but..." He shook his head, completely unsure how to finish his thought.

Luke looked at him, and nodded gravely.

Christopher looked around uncomfortably. "I... should probably go, anyway."

"Oh, Chris, stay for the party," Lorelai pleaded, clutching Luke's arms tighter around her.

"No," he told her forcefully. "It's already past Gigi's bedtime."

She nodded sagely.

Christopher leaned in, and kissed her cheek. "Goodbye, Lorelai," he whispered. "Luke," he nodded.

"Christopher," Luke nodded back.

Christopher walked away, collecting Gigi on his way out.

"Dance with me?" Luke offered, and she noticed that the music had slowed.

"I never thought you'd ask," she laughed, and took his hand as he led her towards the dancefloor. An appreciative murmur ran around the hall as they started to dance.

As they slow-danced, melding in with the other couples on the floor, Lorelai melted in the arms of her fiance until they heard what could only be described as hecklers. They turned in confusion to see Kirk and TJ yelling at them - comments such as 'party-poopers' and 'get a room'.

As Rory danced past them, she laughed. "I don't think you are very good at this whole 'last night of freedom' thing."

Lorelai looked at her daughter. "Nope. And I don't care." She grinned, and was quickly twirled away. She took a double take at Rory's partner, and when she saw who it was, stopped dead.

"Jess," she said in surprise.


	17. It's my Party and I'll Cry if I Want To

**It's my party and I'll cry if I want to**

"Jess," she said in surprise.

Luke stopped. "Jess is here?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded, and pointed to where his nephew was standing next to Rory, the dance having finished. A smile crept over Luke's face at the sight of his nephew back in Stars Hollow. Back in Stars Hollow for him. It was heart-warming to see. Outwardly, however, he tried to stay nonchalant.

"Well, I knew he was going to be here for the wedding..." he commented.

Lorelai didn't pay much attention to the happiness which was in Luke's eyes, and focused instead on how close Jess was standing to her daughter, and how he casually placed his hand on the small of her back, like she belonged to him or something. It was slightly disconcerting to Lorelai that they seemed so comfortable - Rory didn't seem to have Logan on her mind at all.

The couple walked over to where Rory and Jess were chatting easily to Gypsy.

"Well, child-of-mine. You seem to be full of surprises today. Who else have you got hidden away round here?"

Rory looked slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, so you didn't see who just arrived, then?"

Lorelai looked around the room. "No. Who?" Then her eyes fell on Emily and Richard standing bolt-straight near the door.

Luke sighed and placed his hand on Lorelai's back, directing her towards her parents.

"Mom. Dad. You came." She made her voice as bright as she could.

"Mr and Mrs Gilmore," Luke greeted from behind her.

"Of course we came," Richard explained. "We have something for the two of you. It was supposed to be a wedding present, but we thought it prudent to have you receive it before the day."

Lorelai looked curiously between her parents, and then motioned towards the door. "Maybe we should go outside where it's quieter," she suggested. "I know I could do with some fresh air."

The foursome exited the hall, and Emily and Lorelai sat on the bench outside, while the two men stood in front of them.

"Here," Emily said simply, and handed Lorelai a fat envelope. She ripped it open excitedly, and pulled out a stack of papers. On the top was a picture of the house she had seen at the agents' office with her mother months earlier.

"Mom..." Lorelai began, but her mother interrupted her.

"The day I showed you this house, I knew it was perfect. So even though you didn't seem to be in your right mind, I put a deposit down a few days later. It really is a beautiful house, and I want the two of you to have it. It is yours."

Lorelai looked between her parents and her fiance with tears in her eyes. "Thank you Mom. Thank you Dad. It's perfect. Absolutely perfect."

"Thank you Mr and Mrs Gilmore," Luke added, as Lorelai passed him the picture of the house, and the associated papers.

"We have spoken to Rory, and she suggested that we organize for movers to get you in there while you are on your honeymoon. She would supervise, of course - she knows where you'd want things to be placed."

Lorelai smiled. "This is amazing."

Rory came out of the hall, looking for the group. "So, I guess grandma told you everything, then, judging from the liquidity of your eyes right now..."

"Yeah, she did. Are you okay with this... the whole new house thing?"

Rory didn't hesitate. "Completely. Yeah, our old house was my home, but I'm hardly ever there anyway. You guys need a bigger place. So I'm cool with it."

Lorelai enveloped Rory in a hug. She looked at her parents. "Please. Go enjoy the party. I'll be in in a minute."

Richard nodded, and escorted his wife back into the studio.

Luke joined the girls on the bench, taking Emily's vacated spot.

"There is one more guest who hasn't arrived yet, and is a surprise," Rory told the two of them. Both Luke and Lorelai looked at her in confusion, trying to work out who else could be coming.

"You got Mommy more presents?" Lorelai asked her.

"Umm... not exactly," Rory admitted. "It's more for Luke. They called a minute ago to say they were almost here."

As if being cued by a director, an unfamiliar car pulled up across the road, and Rory disappeared back to the party. The passenger door opened, and a familiar brown head popped out.

"Dad!" April called to him, running across the street.

The smile that went across Luke's face could have lit up Times Square several times over. She flew into his arms - normally a bit too much physical contact for him, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Luke." Anna was trailing after her daughter. "Lorelai."

"Anna," they both nodded.

April started animatedly telling her father about her new life in New Mexico, even though they had talked on the phone several times since she had moved three weeks ago.

Anna moved towards Lorelai. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Lorelai?" she asked.

As much as Luke was concentrating on his daughter, he wasn't oblivious to what Anna was saying. "No, Anna. Please don't cause any trouble tonight. Let us enjoy the party, and you can yell all you want tomorrow, okay?"

Both women looked in shock at Luke standing up to Anna. "I don't plan to ruin your evening, Luke," she placated.

"Hon, it's okay," Lorelai told him. "I'm a big girl. We'll be fine. You continue your conversation." She indicated to April.

Luke looked unconvinced, but let them go. Lorelai led Anna over to the gazebo - far enough away from Miss Patty's to have some privacy. They walked and sat in silence. They could hear the music coming loudly from the hall they had left.

"You know, I'm not here to yell, don't you?" Anna reassured her.

"Well, I figure nobody is really that stupid to make such a scene at my bachelorette party. There are several people who would come after you if you tried to upset me. I mean, Rory may not look tough, but she can be really feisty when she's threatened."

Anna sighed. "Yeah, she seems like a good kid. April doesn't stop talking about her, saying how great it will be to have a step-sister she has so much in common with."

"Yeah, Rory is the best. Don't know how I got so lucky." The tears from earlier were still fresh, and they were now threatening to pour over again.

"Lorelai, I just wanted to apologize for the way I've acted towards you. You didn't deserve that."

"No I didn't. But I get it - you're only trying to protect your kid."

Anna put her head in her hands resigned. "I know that you'll be a great step-mother to April - man, that was hard to say." She laughed slightly. "I suppose I felt threatened a bit."

"There's no need to feel like that, Anna. You're her mom. Nothing is ever going to change that." She looked over the road at the sight of Luke and April chatting. "I just wish that you guys lived closer - for both Luke and April's sakes. It hurt him so much to say goodbye to her, knowing it's going to be months before she's here again."

"Yeah, I know." Anna looked sad. "It hurt me so much to have caused that pain in April."

"It'll get better." Lorelai's face brightened when she remembered her mother's earlier surprise. "Hey, we just got a bigger house, so April will have her own room when she comes up to Connecticut."

Anna smiled wryly. "She will like that."

"You know, Anna," Lorelai said softly. "You don't have to worry about sending her up here. Luke would do anything to protect that kid. And I may not be perfect, but I will try my best to look after her, just like I would Rory. But you will always be her mom. You will be the one she is going home to."

They both sat for a minute watching Luke and April. When the two got up and walked inside, the women stood as well. "Thank you, Lorelai. And congratulations. I can't believe someone managed to get Luke Danes to get married."

Lorelai laughed. "I think most people are more surprised that I'm getting married - finally."

Lorelai and Luke sat together in what could only be described as thrones near the stage where the band was set up. They held hands, and watched all their friends and family enjoying themselves.

"You know, this is good," Luke told her.

"What is?"

"This." He gestured around the room. "Maybe a little too much like an episode of 'This is your life', but good. Everything is perfect. Look - our kids are getting along really well, your parents seem to be supportive of our relationship, Anna is happy with how things are and isn't going to go all psycho on us... It's just like everything is falling into place. A couple of months ago, everything was so messed up. Now, it all seems perfect."

"Yeah, and one week from today, I will have that ring on your finger, and I'll be perfectly in my rights to go all Jackie Chan on Patty if she tries to get her dirty paws on you."

Luke laughed. "Hey, I think you would have been perfectly within your rights to do whatever you can to protect me from her without the ring."

"I just like watching you squirm, honey." She kissed him quickly.

"It's really happening. We're getting married." He seemed shocked by the realization.

"Yip. None of the crappy stuff from this year matters. We are going to get up there, and say 'I do'. If you pull out on me now, I'm going to have to hunt you down and kill you."

He looked at her adoringly. "I wouldn't dream of it."


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"She's late," Jess commented. "Maybe she's not coming."

Luke shook his head firmly. "It's Lorelai. She's never ready less than 20 minutes after she says she will be. So by that logic, she's 10 minutes early."

"God, you're becoming more screwed up the more time you spend with her."

Luke playfully punched his nephew in the arm. "I wouldn't mock me so quickly. Rory will have that same effect."

They stood observing the guests in front of them in silence for a minute.

"What is the deal with you and Rory, anyway?" Luke asked hesitantly.

Jess sighed. "I don't know."

"Technically, she's still with Logan, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

Jackson approached them from behind the gazebo. "Just got a call from Sookie. They're about to leave," he informed the nervous groom.

"Thanks Jackson." A smile spread across his face. "She's coming," he whispered.

Jess burst out laughing at this. "You know I was kidding about her ditching you, right?"

Luke's expression could only be described as a pout. "Shut up. You can say what you want. I'm about to get married."

Jess scoffed. "You say that like it's a good thing, not just a way for the government to keep tabs on us."

"Cynic."

Jess just laughed to himself, and shook his head, marvelling at his uncle's change of heart. Those Gilmore girls sure had a lot of power over the Danes men.

Luke turned to Jess. "Uh... do you have a handkerchief or something?"

Jess raised his eyebrows skywards. "In what universe would I be carrying a handkerchief?

Luke turned his palms upwards to reveal his sweating hands.

Jess laughed. "Wipe them on your pants." Luke did as he was told. "Now, calm down. They'll be here any minute, and Lorelai will not be happy if you look like you're doing an impression of Old Faithful."

Luke took several deep breaths, and turned just in time to see the Gilmore's Jaguar turn the corner.

"Showtime," Jess muttered, and pulled Luke by the lapels up the stairs of the gazebo into his position.

--

"Mom, come on. We're late." Rory stood in the foyer, impatiently tapping her perfectly pedicured foot. Her new sandals made a satisfyingly sharp noise as she did so.

"That's my prerogative," Lorelai called down the stairs. "On your wedding day, you can be as early or as late as you'd like.

Rory sighed. "You know grandpa is waiting in the car, don't you?"

"He's a driver. Drivers need to learn to be patient. I'll be ready soon. Anyway, I told him to come in and wait, but I don't think he wanted his precious baby to be left alone in the mean streets of Stars Hollow."

Seconds later, Sookie came running down the stairs, almost tripping on her heels in the process. "We're done! And my, your mother is a pretty one!" She ran to grab the digital camera off the coffee table. Two second later, Lorelai appeared at the top of the stairs. Sookie started clicking away furiously as the bride made her way down to the living room.

"Okay, I want one of the two of you together," Sookie commanded. The girls obeyed, and then Rory took one of Lorelai and Sookie.

As they made their way towards the door, Sookie pulled her cellphone out, and dialled a number. "The Eagle has left the nest," was all she said before hanging up again.

"Nervous?" Rory asked when they were settled in the car.

"Terrified," Lorelai corrected and showed her sweating hands.

Sookie passed her a handkerchief. "Don't wipe them on your dress."

"You actually going to go through with it this time?" Rory inquired.

"Shut up," Lorelai chastised through gritted teeth. "Richard Gere couldn't keep me away from this wedding."

They parked behind a row of strategically placed potted trees strung with twinkle lights. The trees hid them from sight of the guests assembled near the gazebo. Richard helped the three girls out of the car.

"You look beautiful, Lorelai," he commented, taking her in as she stood by the car.

"Thank you, Daddy," she whispered.

He kissed her lightly on the cheek before moving around the trees to take his seat next to his wife.

Lorelai peeked through the leaves, and could see Luke standing in the gazebo, a huge smile plastered on his face. She thought that he had never looked so good. His suit fitted him perfectly, clinging in all the right places.

"You ready?" Rory asked her quietly, leaning in so that she could see what her mother was looking at.

Lorelai stood up straight, and faced her daughter. She was glowing. "I've never been more ready."

"Well let's get you hitched then." They grinned at each other before turning towards Sookie, who was preparing to start walking up the make-shift aisle of rose petals (Emily's idea, of course).

The music started, and Sookie left. Rory waited a second before giving her mother a quick hug, and walking down the aisle herself.

Lorelai stepped out from behind the trees, and saw all her friends and family staring at her. She normally liked being the center of attention, but somehow this made her self-conscious. She looked briefly at her feet, and giggled to herself. Then her eyes fell on Luke, and all her nervousness suddenly disappeared. He was grinning at her, and they locked eyes.

"Here we go," she told herself, and started towards him - towards her future.


End file.
